Oxygen
by Aveira
Summary: How was she supposed to be without him? She had to make him see, to get him to understand just how important he was. She needed him like she needed oxygen…
1. Chapter 1

**_xXxDon't own anything, except the plot…maybe…I was simply 'in the mood' for thisxXx_**

_Summary: How was she supposed to be without him? She had to make him see, to get him to understand just how important he was. She needed him like she needed oxygen…_

_**x.X.x **_

Time moves slower when the world is at peace. For most that would be a blessing, time to enjoy their lives without the worry that tomorrow may never happen. _For most_ did not include a certain young woman, a girl really, she'd loved and lost and fought and grown…and yet she was still just a _girl_ to them. She'd been tried by fire and blood and still…no one seemed to see her as anything more than a child. She was twenty four years of life forgotten. She was beautiful, exotic if one were to take a close enough look. Her eyes were as deep and grey as the purest mercury, and could arguably have the same effect on any man foolish enough to get too close to her. Her body was nothing but soft curves and toned muscle, years of training showing in all things from a simple step to the way she controlled every inch of her body as it went spiraling through the air, landing precisely where she had intended. Her hair was as black as pitch, falling in silky waves down to her hips. She was the epitome of beauty; she could have any man she wanted, though she didn't much try. She had one in mind, one goal, one lust, one single solitary desire. He never acknowledged her feelings, or her, beyond a 'hello' and simple conversation. For Yuffie it was a knife in the gut every time they spoke. She grew to dread seeing him, hiding herself behind fake smiles and declarations of joy, love, and excitement for a life she'd lead elsewhere. It was always a lie, a beautiful life, but a lie nonetheless.

_**xXx**_

"Yuffie, would you mind bartending just for an hour or two tonight? Cloud and I are dropping the kids off with Elmyra and we have to pick up Barret, Cid, and Nanaki." Tifa finished wiping down the counter as she turned to the woman beside her, who had just polished off her fifth shot in as many minutes.

"Sure…" She answered in a husky whisper, the result of the whiskey burning her throat. Yuffie had her hair pulled back in a messy bun, her make up still as perfect as it had been earlier that morning. She seemed to have an affinity for dark colors, black, bronze, and gold's…which, given her current outfit, suited her well. She wore a black strapless shirt that laced up the back, on her hands were elbow length fingerless gloves, and she wore form fitting black leather pants, in honor of the one who haunted her dreams. Her face was hidden behind a mask of black and gold, coal black eye liner that accentuated the almond shape of her eyes, darker mascara, and golden eye shadow, her cheeks were dabbed with a dusky rose blush, and topping the whole thing off was a the vague shimmer of bronzer across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She smelled of fresh water lilies and musk, and she looked as though the weight of the world rested on her shoulders.

"Are you sure?" Tifa eyed the girl a moment longer, worry written clear as day across her face.

"Yeah, Tifa, I don't mind doing it. You better hurry…'s getting late." Yuffie nodded at the wall clock, indicating the time to be five forty five in the afternoon.

"Shit! I'm supposed to be there in an hour!" She grabbed her keys, yelled for Cloud and the two were off like a shot, racing toward Healin'.

"Drive safe…" Yuffie mumbled to no one particular. Now she just had to play the waiting game, the bar didn't open until eight and _he_ usually came by well before that. She poured two shots, setting one aside she downed the other. She didn't have to wait long, however, as the familiar sound of heavy metal boots floated in to her ears. She glanced up as he entered with a look of mild disinterest.

"Hello, Yuffie." Vincent made his way to the bar, taking the seat across from her as she placed a shot before him.

"Evening, Valentine…" She smiled slightly as she poured herself a glass of water. Now that he was here she suddenly felt like she used to, energetic and happy. She always felt that way around him, weightless and exuberant, the sight of him was enough to send a shiver down to her toes, and if it weren't for the counter between them she wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't just close the distance between them just to see what he'd do. As it was, he did little more than offer a curt nod before taking the shot.

"What is the occasion?" He nodded at the glass in his hand.

She stared at him for a moment and she could almost swear she'd seen something akin to concern flutter behind his crimson stare. "Breathing again." She whispered with a sad smile.

"Tonight is the annual 'get drunk because we saved the world' night, I'm just getting a head start." She chuckled as he let out a slight groan.

"…I'm glad you came tonight, Vince. Eight months is too long for me to go without seeing you." Yuffie didn't look directly at him; she turned her gaze more toward the counter, clearing her throat before she spoke again. "I mean, you could come visit…just once in a while, you lonely old fuddy duddy." Yuffie turned a sweet smile on him, he stared a moment before apparently succumbing to the smile himself.

"Fuddy…duddy?" Vincent furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of the young woman's chatter.

"Eh, never mind…" She shifted under his bemused stare, giggling to herself.

They sat together, talking about various new things in their lives. Yuffie was seeing another boy…a man really, who she couldn't seem to get out of her head despite the fact that she was completely put out by his overly outgoing and charming nature. She refrained from alluding to any kind of interest in Vincent, finding it surprisingly difficult to talk about her current relationship with him. She was grateful when Vincent took over the conversation, discussing his latest expedition to the Northern Crater and what work he'd been doing with a group of Reeve's top scientists involving mako and curing the effects of being exposed, which in the last eight months had been particularly eventful. A true cure was within their grasp now, soon Vincent would have a chance to be cured of his 'immortality'.

"Do you usually drink this much?" Vincent asked as she finished one drink only to pour another soon after.

"Fuck off…" She mumbled with as much of a glare as she could muster aimed at him. "I don't have to be sober _all_ day, ya know, 'sides, didn't you know 'Esuna' would sober you up?" She eyed him, her silver eyes smoldering behind her dark lashes.

"No…" Vincent was ill at ease around her, a familiar sort of tension that had been there for the last year or so. It was suffocating sometimes; he wanted something he'd never have. It wasn't as though he'd never had _that_ problem before; it was more like he'd never had it reciprocated in such a way. He saw it in her, she felt exactly the same way, and she wanted him but would never have him. Too many things stopped the pair from being together in any fashion. She was still the former heiress of Wutai, which kept her in the public eye quite a bit. She did odd jobs for Reeve, intelligence gathering and tracking, which she was unbelievably good at. The sight of her in one of her funks, such as her current 'drink myself happy' attitude always took a toll on him. He had a reputation for being rather cold an unapproachable, a reputation he intended to keep up. However, now he was moderately angry, he was slightly frustrated and mostly with himself. What did _he_ care if she were an heiress? She could be a regular girl from the slums for all he cared, he just wanted a chance. For the first time in decades he felt as though he'd paid his debt, he felt free of all his previous burdens.

"Does it repair the damage to your liver?" He tipped his glass of wine as he spoke. Yuffie snorted at him and resumed wiping down the bar. She switched the radio on, enjoying familiar hum of the music as it moved through her.

"Sunday is gloomy, Vince. Sunday gloomy Sunday." She spoke softly, the song itself playing on unaffected behind her. Vincent finished his glass of wine, nodding to her once and turning to leave. She didn't say goodbye and he almost turned to see if she was even paying attention to him leave. Maybe he'd see that familiar flicker of rage, regret, or sorrow. He didn't turn; he continued to the door without pause and left the building. His enhanced hearing did, however, pick up the faintest sound of her cries. He'd hurt her yet again, he wasn't surprised and he'd long since learned not to go back and try to repair the damage. Tifa had always been the one to act as the go between for Vincent. She had somehow worked out that Vincent truly did feel something for the girl, but Tifa knowing them as she did knew not to tell Yuffie. Who knew how the girl would take it. For now, Vincent was alone in his misery, not at all uncommon for him. He alone knew she burned for him and that made his apparent indifference that much more difficult for her to accept and come to terms with. He hated himself in that moment, hated hurting her, and by all the Gods he knew did he hate the sound of her cries. Vincent wanted to run, fly away from here…it was as if his legs couldn't carry him away fast enough.

It was ok, the bar would open and she'd have plenty of bar patrons to occupy her time. Another thought struck him and he stopped dead in his tracks, turning slowly to look back in the direction of the bar. _'Reno…' _That was the one she'd been talking about. The irritating charmer who she couldn't stop thinking about. He glared viciously at the building, jealousy raring it's ugly head and thus surprising him. _'Jealous…'_ He wanted her, he truly wanted every inch of her, however he knew that rules were what they were and he could not just _have_ her. It killed them both, he knew better than she how that felt. He made his way back toward the bar. He'd not let Reno make off with the first woman in nearly forty years that he'd cared for. Having another man touching that which he so desperately wanted made his blood burn. He sighed as he sat back on a tree branch, watching her skillfully serve drinks to the many men and women who had piled in as the night went on. He could hardly stand to watch as Reno touched her everywhere, obviously not caring who saw. Vincent mentally cursed himself for being so stubborn, Yuffie deserved better than to be _that _mans little plaything. He glowered at the red head, contemplating his next move. He'd have to wait until the bar closed, whatever he decided, and so he sat stock still in the tree, deadly crimson eyes trained on the Turk fawning over Yuffie.

'_I'm sorry…' _He inwardly winced, Yuffie had been as adamant as he about never saying a thing as he had been…what if she didn't want him to interfere? What if this was what she wanted? He watched, ready to abandon his plan in favor of hiding away again when a blur of movement caught his eye. Reno had pinned her to the counter, no one seemed to notice her slight struggle against him. The hired help had come and was manning the bar so she hadn't been out front. She glared, slapped Reno across the face, and shouted obscenities at the red head. Vincent felt his stomach roil at the wicked smirk working its way onto Reno's face. He ran for the back door, making his way toward her and her angry words.

"Fuck you, you're drunk Reno…get off me." She was losing steam, she had been under the influence of Whiskey yet again and had almost found her crimson desire in those empty green eyes.

"What's wrong, yo? I'm not _man _enough for you?" Yuffie nearly gagged as her hand was forced to come into contact with his member. "Or is it something else?" Yuffie nearly panicked, she didn't want him to say it out loud. No one knew _that_. "I'm not as _old_ as him? I'm not nearly fucked up enough? What, should I see if I can dig up that shit on Hojo and get myself a demon? Would you fuck me then?" Yuffie screamed, rage burning her from the inside out.

"_FUCK YOU!_" She bellowed, yanking one hand loose, laughing maniacally as it connected with a satisfying _'crunch'_ against Reno's nose.

"You little fucking bitch!" Reno screeched at her, recoiling quickly and knocking into something a little too firm to just be the wall. He turned and the cynical glare came out in force. "No fucking way, your little undead boyfriend showed the hell up. Terrific! Now you can tell him that because you are you and he is who he is…you wont fuck me. You just lead me on and on and then cut out when it gets too _real_ for you." Yuffie's head hung low, her eyes shadowed by her long hair. She was vaguely aware that Vincent was moving slowly toward Reno, she heard doors shut and more voices enter the bar. They were home. Reno opened his mouth to further drive home the verbal knife when a fist, which did _not_ belong to Yuffie, collided soundly with his gut and then his face a split second later.

"You worthless _PIG_, I told you to stay the hell away from Yuffie." Tifa's voice allowed for no argument. Reno struggled up, suddenly found himself on his feet and was _'helped'_ out by Barrett and Cloud. "Yuffie…Yuffie are you alright?" Tifa turned to Vincent, who had never looked more ready for a fight in all the years she'd known him. "What happened?" He looked up, eyes burning red with rage.

Yuffie charged past them and up to her room, the ominous presence that was Vincent Valentine followed her up the stairs. He'd amend this now…

_**A/N: **_

_**I have an obsession with this pair…**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I still don't own it, none of it…**_

**xXx**

**Drowning**

**xXx**

Yuffie screamed into the pillow, bellowed in now unrestrained fury. She wanted to run, escape from everything. The bar, the continent, herself…she couldn't run. Where would she go? What would she do? It wasn't as if she didn't have an unbelievable amount of gil, she wouldn't starve in this millennium at least. She dug her fingers into the comforter on her bed, growling to herself as she carefully sat up and took a few deep breaths. She'd leave, right now; tonight…Vincent did it anytime something bothered him. This was year's worth of pent up regret and a devastating sense of desperation. She never felt the walls close in like they did today, and all Reno had essentially done was make an unfounded accusation. No one knew she was furiously enamored with a certain lone gunman, her crimson avenger, her very own dark knight…

She shook herself violently out of her stupor, grabbing the barest of bare essentials and shoving them into a bag. It would be a matter of seconds before-

"Yuffie…" Vincent stood in the doorway, his eyes aglow with something deep and downright evil. It sent a chill through Yuffie and she involuntarily took a step back. He advanced on her quicker than she'd thought even he could move. He gripped her forearms with bruising intensity, causing her to wince and gasp.

"Vi-Vincent, you-you're hurting me!" She squeaked, hardly able to control her own shaky voice. "Gods, Vincent, let _GO!" _He stumbled back from her in shock, ashamed of hurting her.

"I…I was concerned he'd hurt you." Yuffie set a glare upon him that made him shift as though she'd been attempting to light him on fire.

"_You_ worried about _ME_?! That's a laugh. You don't worry about anyone but yourself. You've treated me like your stupid fucking kid sister for the last five plus years. I don't know if you've noticed yet, but I grew the hell up! I don't need _your_ concern _Vincent_. Fuck off!" she shouted, furiously angry with him for Leviathan only knew why.

"Yuffie…I don't understand." Her violent outburst had taken the wind from his sails and the fire from his argument concerning her deserving better and him trying to be such.

"Sure you don't understand… You liar! Get out, Valentine, just get the fuck_ OUT!" _He shut the door as a rather heavy jug of fine Wutaian sake shattered against the door. He could hear her crying again. He growled to himself, furious for causing her so much pain.

'_I've ruined you without ever laying a hand on you…'_ He wished with all his might he could bring her back around. Even Cid seemed a bit down with Yuffie being as…off the handle… as she had been. He took a deep breath and walked away, this obviously was a mistake. She did not feel the same way for him as he'd thought, maybe it had just been an illusion, a mirage of what he'd wanted to see.

"Where are you going, Vincent? You can't just leave her like this _again._" Tifa's voice was hard and angry, bitter after having tasted Yuffie's despair. "You nearly killed her the last time you vanished, why can't you just put your big boy panties on and get the hell in there?!" Tifa growled out, her fury quickly dissolving, tears trailing down her cheeks as she stood by helpless to do anything for her friends.

"It is not my place, Tifa. She is too innocent, and far too young to be with something like me…" He turned to leave, only to find his progress physically halted. He turned in time to see Tifa, with a fistful of his cloak, cock back a fist and thrust it in the general direction of his face. He didn't have time to dodge as the offending woman's fist connected with his jaw. A coppery taste in his mouth indicated he was bleeding and he could feel a bruise forming already.

"You fucking coward!" She turned and walked away, past a rather shocked Cloud and Barrett, and into the kitchen behind the bar. Vincent stared a moment longer before nodding to both men and walking away.

"She broke…Vince. She died inside when you weren't here, she's angry now because you don't see her for what she is, you see her for what she was." Cloud spoke softly, a certain calm settling over him. "She hasn't been the same since, and she wont be the same again…she'll never have that youthful innocence she'd had when she was with us…with you. Don't walk away because you think you're doing someone any favors, you walk away and you may as well just whip out Death Penalty and shoot her now." Vincent spun on his heel, the cold look in Cloud's eyes causing him to quickly look away. He had nothing to say, he wanted to disappear, become one of his demons, he didn't want to be in the bar anymore, not within ear shot of the soft cries coming from _her_ room.

He turned and walked away, letting the door shut gently behind him. He couldn't stay, it was just wrong to stay. Monsters and demons he could handle. A heart broken girl? He didn't even know where to start, especially knowing he was the one who broke said heart.

Vincent eyed the stars a moment, pausing in his exodus, he wanted her to smile again…but then again he _knew_ who and what he was, and that did not allow for him to have or do the things he wanted. He'd left to spare her any more pain his presence caused, that was noble wasn't it? That was kind. He was doing it _all_ for her. He suffered in silence for her…

"_Yuffie_…" Her name was a whisper, a plea to the heavens. _'It was always for you…'_ Vincent vanished into a blur of crimson, bounding from one roof top to the other, doing what he seemed to always do…

-

-

_**A/N:**_

_Ok, I'm still a little unsure of this, I'm not usually a big angst writer. Any criticisms are always welcome._


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_

_Well this is more or less a series of flash backs, some insight into Yuffie's anger toward Vincent. I'm somewhat happy with how it came out on paper…_

'_**Memories' **_

_xXxXx_

_She was never meant to belong to the darkness, she was now and always had been a being of pure light. However, this night she found some solace in the embrace of the void. It was far easier to exist in the absence of all things. There was no fear, no joy…no love, which she found that, surprisingly, she did not miss. She would not miss it; she had never truly known it._

'_I can't miss what I never had.' That was a lie, clear as day. She missed his smell, his voice; she even missed just the way it had _felt_ to be near him._

_But he was gone now-gone home…maybe to __**her**__. Maybe he found peace where ever he was._

_She had lost her fire without him, her desire to exist was hampered by the knowledge that he simply failed to now. She could feel the walls closing in, soon all would fade to black and she'd never have to feel another minute of this torture. _

"_Yuffie!" Came a small and stubborn shout from the other side of the door. Yuffie failed to change position, staring mindlessly out into the black night sky. "Yuffie, come down and eat!" Marlene gave a futile shout at Yuffie's door. Tifa came to a stop near the small girl._

"_Hush now Marley." Came Tifa's soothing voice, and while normally Yuffie would delight in the childish antics that Marlene so rarely displayed, or the motherly nature of her friend…tonight she wished they would both leave her to nurse her wounded heart. "Go down and eat dinner, I'll talk to Yuffie." Marlene huffed, her face clearly showing the sadness she felt._

"_Is she okay?" Marlene stared the floor down as if she could burn holes in it with her eyes. "I miss her…" Tifa cupped the girls cheek, kissing her forehead lightly._

"_Love of mine, she will be fine…she's very hurt and we all miss her." Tifa stared a moment longer at the younger girl. "You're heart is a wonderful thing, Marlene, and you need to trust that Yuffie feels the same way. She loves us all and right now she needs us to help her. Go eat and don't worry, she _will_ be fine…" Tifa was apparently very convincing as the girl smiled brightly and trotted off toward the kitchen. Tifa watched until she sat at the table, Cloud glanced up the stairs and at a shake from Tifa began to serve up the kids, asking them about their respective days. Denzel went on about school, telling Cloud just how much he loved history. Marlene whined that Denzel's friends picked on her._

_The knob turned slowly, alerting Yuffie to the intruder. Tifa carefully closed the creaky door behind her, slowly making her way to Yuffie. The room was bare, a simple chest of drawers and a small bed being the only furniture. The room in and of itself was a stark contrast to who and what Yuffie had been, now it seemed so oddly fitting. There were scattered pictures of everyone together and some random pictures of one or two people. She had one of Cid and Cloud standing side to side peering out at the horizon from atop the Shera. Another of Tifa in mid-strike during one of her many training sessions, and the one off to the side, it was a profile shot of Vincent. He was smiling faintly, Yuffie's small hands wrapped around his golden gauntlet, she was pouting at him. Tifa sighed, sliding the picture back under the pile._

_Yuffie sat on the window ledge, a single sheet wrapped around her small frame, not sparing a glance in Tifa's direction. The shorts and shirt she usually wore, which any other time seemed too short and too tight, now hung limply from her fragile frame. _

"_Yuffie…please, please come eat with us. It's been two weeks since…you need to eat." The desperation was there and it only served to cause the younger woman's stomach to churn. She didn't want sympathy, she wanted him, to see him and at the very least know he was ok. Tifa wrung her hands nervously, her eyes cast down at the bare floor boards._

"…_no." Came the breathy reply. A groan of protest left the smaller woman as Tifa touched her shoulder. "Go…go back to the land of the living." Yuffie half moaned as Tifa's grip tightened._

"_Come with me!" Tifa whispered quickly, falling into Yuffie, her frame shaking with each sob. "Oh, please, Yuffie. Please…come back with me." Her voice was nothing more than a harsh whisper, tears falling into Yuffie's limp hair. Yuffie shuddered as she felt her own defenses stretched to their limit and then some. Yuffie muffled a sob in Tifa's hair, sucking in a sharp breath._

"_Gods, this pain, it burns me to the core." Yuffie let out a strangled cry, weak from weeks of misuse, her body pushed to the breaking point from the complete lack of nourishment. "I'm afraid I'll never-never find my w-way…" she sobbed, her face buried in the other woman's neck, Tifa's strong arms wrapped around her weakened body. "I-I can't __**breathe**__, Tifa!" Yuffie cracked, her mind ripped apart and Tifa could feel the rift, Yuffie laid broken and bare for all the world to see. She clung to the girl, begging, pleading, to every God she could think of._

"_I wish I could drown your suffering, steal your sorrow and leave you whole again…" She whispered into Yuffie's ear._

"_Death will be my salvation." Yuffie let out one last strangled sob before collapsing into a deep sleep. Tifa lay her gently on the soft mattress, tucking her hair behind her ears and carefully wiping away the salty tears. Yuffie seemed happier in her sleep, at least for the time being._

_Tifa eyed the thin strip of crimson wrapped around Yuffie neck, a sort of memory. 'Vincent…' Tifa frowned, her view of the crimson gunman somewhat darkened by the damage done to Yuffie. She left the room, closing the window to keep the girl from catching a cold. _

_**xXxXx**_

_Darkness surrounded her, comforted her. She moved freely now, no longer resigned to the constriction of her bed. She moved quietly through the veil of obsidian. All ways seemed clear, all things repaired in this paradise of nothingness._

_**And then came the memories, **_

_**Like the hounds of Hell, they hunted her…**_

'_Vincent, for the love of Leviathan- You are CREEPY!' An image of him hiding in a corner, avoiding everyone and everything around him, startling a young Yuffie as she attempted to hide in the same corner._

'_He will bring Sephiroth back?" Cait Sith on the Shera, watching Cloud fight Kadaj._

'_He is like a larva, he will _become_ Sephiroth…" Vincent's monotone still sent shivers down to her toes._

'_Larva? He's a bug?!' Yuffie juggled an obscene amount of materia in her arms, clearly disgusted with the idea of Kadaj being a larva. _

'_You could say 'thanks for saving my undead butt' you know…' Yuffie smiled and winked at him, rewarded with a small smirk of his own. 'Thank you…'_

'_Yuffie…this is too dangerous, please-'she slapped him, fully in the face open palm, she'd even left a welt._

'_Where you go, I go, Vincent! We're a TEAM!' She'd protested, eyes brimming with frustrated tears._

_The void had been bearable up to then, now she was bombarded mercilessly by images and memories of all of him. Now she remembered how alone she truly was, and he was never coming back…_

_**xXxXx**_

Yuffie awoke with a start, sweated poured off her and she shuddered with each breath. She quickly looked around the room, her bags packed as though she'd been ready to leave. Her mind rolling over the last image she remembered. Vincent walking through the door of Seventh Heaven, hardly sparing her a glance as everyone else rallied around him, so relieved he was still alive. Shelke had brought him back, everyone was busy praising her for finding their friend, Yuffie sat stalk still, her heart having stopped cold. She didn't know what else to do so she slipped away, hiding in her room again. She thought she heard him ask for her, thought she heard Tifa calling for her…but no one came, so she slept.

Weeks went by with him stopping by every day before the bar opened, on occasion Yuffie would be manning the bar with the hired help, a girl named Julie. He'd been happy to see her then, though her appearance gradually changed to something darker. Her hair grew and her face seemed to hide behind a thick mask of make-up, her eyes seemed heavily guarded. She hadn't known how it hurt him to be forced away from her…he'd left and for eight months he'd been gone. Then last night he was back, she'd known he would come. It was the annual celebration of his victory, and theirs. He'd come out of hiding for that at least. He'd saved her from Reno, though she'd set herself up for that…he could be so damned charming when he wanted something.

She collected the pack, adjusting herself in her shorts and the thin black shirt, her shurikens tied on, Conformer at her back. She eyed the door wearily, she didn't want them to see her leave, she'd go out the window. She was thankful it wasn't quite dawn yet, the darkness was now her only source of reprieve from the harsh reality the sun always brought to light.

She left a simple note on her door, stuck there with one of her many kunai.

'_I'll see you again…_

_-Kisaragi'_

Tifa crushed the parchment in her fist, ripping the small blade viciously from the door, angry tears pouring down her cheeks. Gloved hands gently wrapped around her shoulders. She twisted around, burying her face in Clouds chest.

"She knows what she's doing…" Cloud whispered to the fighter. "You always did…"

Tifa whimpered in reply. "She's broken, Cloud, she'll never be whole again…not without him." Cloud tightened his grip on the woman.

"Then trust they know what they're doing!" He whispered harshly. "We _have_ to trust them…" He placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head. "I'll beat up Vince if it'll make you feel better…but it really wont solve the problem." Tifa smiled through her tears.

"But I _would_ feel better...for a little bit." He rolled his eyes with a smile. "You already said you would…baby?" Cloud turned to look at her with a sly grin. "Baby, if you loved me you'd beat up Valentine." She batted her eyes at him.

"Why would you beat up Vincent!?" Marlene squealed in shock and anger. "He's my friend! I'll beat _you_ up first!" Marlene giggled uncontrollably as Cloud dug his fingertips into her ribs.

"I don't think so, princess!" He laughed as she gasped for air, the sound of her laughter like a breath of fresh air, Tifa smiled slightly, glancing back at Yuffie's abandoned room.

"Where did she go?" Marlene asked through gasps. "Is she going to find her fire?" Tifa and Cloud's eyes locked on Marlene, shock and curiousity ruling out all other emotions. "She said she lost it…maybe she remembered where she left it!" Marlene clapped her hands, dashing down the stairs.

"She's very insightful…for an twelve year old." Tifa gave Cloud a wry smile. He kissed her cheek, nodding in reply. The pair made their way down to the kitchen, Nanaki was nowhere in sight, the back door was open and Tifa smiled thankfully to herself. Cloud stood behind her, his head resting lazily on her shoulder, nudging her neck gently.

"He always did have a certain soft spot for her…" Cloud observed, noting the pair of tracks leading away. There was something glittering off one of the chocobo pens. "She paid for something? She's worse off than I thought." Cloud chuckled as Tifa playfully slapped the side of his head.

"Way to be supportive, bird brain." He grinned winningly at her.

"Where has Yuffie gone?" The dark tone stopped them both cold, Cloud turned first, Tifa didn't trust herself not to fly over there and beat some sense into the man.

"You really had _no idea_ how much you being so thoughtless killed her, do you?" Cloud seemed genuinely shocked, as did Vincent. His guard was down for the first time, his face clearly displaying all the shock and worry, the sorrow he clearly felt at the loss of the ninja. "She waited…_waited,_ for you and you still never gave her more than a passing glance. She fought beside you all that time when no one else could, she was there! You blew her off as too young or too pure or whatever bullshit you came up with…you knew how she felt and you still…" Cloud took a ragged gasp, glaring viciously at Vincent. "Vincent, you _**love**_ her...and you broke her spirit." Cloud growled, fury rising quicker than he'd thought possible. He hadn't been that angry at the man until he'd seen him. His mask of indifference had been the thing to push him over the edge. He, for all intents and purposes did not care what happened to the young ninja. "You stupid fucking _moron!_" Cloud's fist connected with Vincent's jaw, sending the older man nearly through a wall. Vincent staggered to his feet, the coppery taste of blood lingering where his lip had split.

"Cloud!" Tifa dove between the two. "I forgive him…and Yuffie _won't_ forgive _you_ if you kill him before he can make all his wrongs right…" Tifa whispered, slowly coming to a stop in front of Cloud, his blue eyes aglow with rage. Tifa kissed him, his body trembling with all the pent up fury he hadn't known he had, his breathing hitched as her soft lips met his.

Vincent eyed the door, something akin to sorrow filled his heart. It felt as though he was trying to breath under water…Yuffie had left because he'd broken her. He wanted to tell them he was leaving, but a glare as cold as the northern crater from Tifa sent him silently on his way.

"Fix her…or you will answer to _me_…" Her eyes were as unyielding as stone. "Cloud isn't the one you should worry about, Valentine." He nodded, his back turned to her now as he walked from the bar. Tifa was left holding Cloud back, his eyes clamped shut in an effort to shake the rage from himself. Tifa smiled proudly up at him. "I was only kidding about beating him up, you know." Cloud's eyes opened slowly, a slow smile working it's way across his features as he fixed his brilliant blue hues on her. "But Yuffie would have loved you more for that."

"I'm sorry I hit him…I didn't think I was really all that upset." He frowned momentarily.

"She means a lot to us, it's only natural really." He nodded in agreement.

His eyes suddenly lit up mischievously. "Why not go back upstairs and finish what your lips have started…?" Tifa let out a breathy laugh as he nearly drug her up the stairs.

Marlene shook her head ruefully, having seen the little exchange from the front room. She flipped the channel until it came to a cartoon she liked, she focused on her school work as 'Powder-puff girls' played in the background. _'And they say I'm obnoxious…'_ she sighed, writing out her much hated lessons. She momentarily wondered if the school board was actually trying to brainwash kids into mindless zombies…after all, what was the purpose of rewriting the same bizarre 'See spot run' sentences over and over? "Stupid literature class…" she grumbled as she moved on to another sentence…

-

-

_**A/N-**_

_Yuffie's nightmares and her running away, tune in next time for: a little exploration into Yuffie and Nanaki's friendship, Vincent gets a clue, Lucrecia makes a guest appearance…well, as much of one as a materia chick can._

_R&R_

_Update: I wrote Marlene was smart for an eight year old...I somehow forgot that she'd have grown some in the last four years too...oops. I think I fixed it :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:  
**__**I think I've decided to make this a sort of turning point, also since I love Red XIII/Nanaki, I had to give him a somewhat important role…c'mon, who wouldn't want a talking fire-cat as their best friend?  
**__**I own nothing…sadly.**_

_**xXxXx**_

Yuffie had made it to the fields of Kalm before dusk two day after vanishing from Seventh Heaven. She'd received several calls from Tifa, who was near despondent not knowing how the ninja was doing. One from Cid, who threatened great bodily harm, or at least was intending to tie her to the front of the Shera if she didn't call Tifa, another call from Cloud who was just making sure she was okay and telling her Cid wouldn't hurt her…but she needed to call Tifa soon, and then there was the last call. The last call had been from Shelke, she'd asked Yuffie in her robotic way of speaking, the strangest of questions.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, this is Shelke Rui, it has been requested that you return your unharmed person to Seventh Heaven." The message was quiet and Yuffie nearly erased it before a more concerned Shelke echoed over the phone. "Where have you gone, Kisaragi…are you well?" Then the line went dead and the automated voice on the other end read off its litany of information.

'_Am I well?' _Yuffie hadn't really thought all this through; she'd been running on pure instinct. She heard the beep a little too late on her phone, indicating yet another voice message. She sighed, shoving the offending object into her pack.

"It's rude to ignore them; they only wish to see you well." A comforting voice called from behind her. She smiled to herself, glad the fire-cat had decided to go with her, despite her best argument that he do no such thing.

"I know, Nanaki, and they know I do appreciate them, they also know I need my time. This is a chasm that wont fix itself…I have to do this." With that they were off again, heading out and away from everything familiar.

**xXxXx**

Vincent had traveled in her shadow for the last week. Yuffie and Nanaki had covered a surprising distance in the last seven days, Yuffie even going so far as to travel by ferry to their final destination, Wutai. Yuffie and Nanaki received a warm welcome; Godo had announced a massive celebration to be held in honor of his warrior daughter and future heir to the throne. Vincent had made a far less grand entrance, preferring to wait until dusk and then to move across the rooftops.

He'd been resting in a large tree, adorned with a multitude of chimes, charms, and trinkets. He hadn't heard anyone or anything approach, though he'd been exhausted from keeping up with the two of them, Yuffie having been all of twenty four was not yet encumbered by old age and fatigue.

"Why did you follow me?" Her voice was quiet, steeling herself against any response he gave. "I did not request you to, and I certainly do not wish you to stay. This is for me-"

"Yuffie…I was wo-"Her quicksilver eyes narrowed dangerously as her voice suddenly took on an aggressive tone.

"_Silence!" _Yuffie hissed angrily."You did not come here for any reason other than your own selfish bullshit." His composure faltered and in the same instant her defense cracked. "Why…why did you do it? You've always treated me like I'm of little or no consequence."

"That isn't true!" He rose quickly, towering over her petite form. "You've meant so…you are important, you are very important." She sighed, her frustrations having worn themselves out running amuck all through her mind.

"Four years is a long time to be cold to someone who is _'Very important,'_ Vincent." He watched in fear and trepidation, his heart beating quickly as she turned to stand beside him. "I still wish you'd leave, I don't believe I needed you as much as I thought…" And then she was gone, gracefully dropping down to the ground and making her way back toward the pagoda. His frown grew fierce, his anger rising within him so quickly he nearly lost his opportunity to rein it in. He struck the massive tree, a loud crack echoing through the still night air, a frustrated growl worked its way from somewhere deep within, erupting as a roar before a blur of solid black bolted from the city.

Grey eyes watched passively as the figure vacated the tree she had till recently occupied. _'There you go again, huh?' _

"He's gone." Yuffie cleverly pointed out to Nanaki, as though having one eye may have hindered him in noticing the obvious.

"You feel justified in doing this?" He didn't look up from his resting position, her fingers deftly moving through his mane.

"I do…" There was hesitancy, a little worry.

"Hm…suppose he gets a hint now? Suppose Mr. Valentine truly gives up now? What then?" She stopped petting, her breath hitched, and her heart rate doubled…Nanaki opened his one eye and tilted his head in her direction. "Still feel justified in sending that man away?" Her face turned to stone before his eyes. Curious, he pressed on, nudging her for a reply.

"Then I'll have what I wanted! I will have my justice or revenge, whatever the hell you want to call it! I don't _want _him to be around, I don't need that pathetic _thing_ following me around, damn it!" She stood in a rush, her eyes couldn't lie as well as she could verbalize. He saw the hint of sadness edging its way back into her bottomless pools of silver ash.

Nanaki stood, stretching himself to his limit and yawned dramatically, letting out a small growl as he did. "Well then, if you're all settled I believe I am going to retire for the evening. The festivities of your clan are a bit much for an old cat such as me." Yuffie chuckled at that.

"You're old?" He smirked, shaking his mane slightly.

"No, however I'm afraid I'm not much of a…how do you kids say it? Party animal?" Yuffie laughed outright, nodding enthusiastically. "Ah, well, I am most certainly not one of those. If you were hoping for a dance partner perhaps you should have brought Tifa or Reeve." Yuffie smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, Nanaki…for everything you always do for me." She dropped unceremoniously to her knees infront of the large cat, clasping her arms around his neck. He lifted a paw, gently patting her back, grinning his feline grin.

"You're welcome dear Yuffie…I'm just a little too attached to you to let you suffer in silence…" She squeezed a little tighter.

"Thank-"

"Which is why I must point out one rather overlooked flaw in your little scheme…one minute detail you seem to have, well not quite forgotten…maybe 'not quite counted on." Yuffie stared nervously, her mouth going dry in anticipation.

"Say it…" She felt the bile rising in her throat. _'Gods don't let it be…'_

"Vincent loves you…" A silver tear slid free, gliding gently down her cheek. "…and you, in all your years of wisdom, made that great love of your life, your greatest conquest…slip away." He held her through her first hiccup as she struggled not to cry. Yuffie leaned back, tears moving freely down her cheeks and into her loose hair.

'_What have I done? Why was I so mad in the first place? He's always been like that…he's always been distant, he…Leviathan, he loves me?' _She couldn't possibly wrap her mind around it, the whole idea was preposterous. Vincent loved Lucrecia, he'd said so…

"No…no, you're wrong, you're lying!" Yuffie leaped to her feet. "You just want to see me make a fool of myself to that husk of a man, good lord, he isn't even _that_ anymore! Why would I think I could trust any of you, all you do is meddle when it isn't wanted!" Yuffie ran from the hall, through the dancing geisha, down the hall of light, out the front of the now beautifully decorated pagoda and out past the lily garden. She flew, like a whisper on the wind, tears stinging her eyes.

"You don't cry for much, this must be serious." Yuffie buckled to her knees, warm gentle hands clasping at her shoulders. "What is it child?"

"I've done something stupid." She sobbed, hiccupping from the effort to withhold anymore tears.

"You're young, that doesn't surprise me…" The voice was kind, not mocking, and she felt herself smile despite her sorrow.

"What have I done?" She wished someone else could lead her life for her, she was so tired of making the same mistakes over and over.

"You learned something, you became frightened, and you fought back. You stood up for your belief, what you think is right and for that you should not cry, child. You should hold your head high! Like any man of the Kisaragi line would!" She felt a smile tug at her cheek, and though she was sorely tempted to give in, she felt something else pull her deeper into despair.

"What if Nanaki is right? What if I did chase him away? What if he's gone forever?"

"What if the sun refuses to shine? What if tomorrow never came? There are so many 'what ifs' to think about one might go mad worrying about them all! Why worry? Respect, Yuffie, he must earn back your respect. You feel he has wronged you, yes?" She nodded slightly. "Then he must earn your forgiveness…if the love is there, all of this will happen." She felt the gentle grasp on her chin; her face was lifted to a matching set of crystalline slate grey eyes. "Kisaragi Yuffie? You are a strong, powerful, and incredible woman. You have done everything in the world to make me proud, you have succeeded where no one else possibly could have, you went up against your mothers murderer, a God, and an army…you fought alongside AVALANCHE and you came out the victor. Do not let yourself be brought down by _this_." She smiled, grateful for her father's love.

"Thank you, Go-…_tosan._" She could almost swear she saw his eyes widen a fraction of a millimeter, she rarely called him father, rarer still in their native tongue.

"Arigato, Yuffie-chan. Now go! You have a celebration to be the life of! I didn't spend all this money and time so you could sit out here by your mother's cherry tree and mope. She would roll over in her grave if she saw you out here like this…" Yuffie chuckled as she dabbed her eyes.

"Alright, alright…I'm goin' old man, no need for the mile long guilt trip." He laughed good naturedly. "Ne, tosan…" Godo lifted his gaze to hers, a question written clearly on his features. "watashi ha aisu ru." He smiled broadly at her, not sure he could trust his voice he motioned for her to leave. Yuffie smiled, turning on her heel and heading back out to the dancing and music.

"I love you, my princess…" Godo whispered to the soft breeze, the smell of the sweet sakura blossoms sending him back to a memory of years long past, of a woman so strikingly beautiful it made his chest ache to look at her. "Hime..." The woman was dressed in the finest silk kimonos gil could buy, turned and smiled at him. Godo could see so much of Yuffie in her, the shape of her eyes, the smile, the midnight black hair…he smiled ruefully, even the way Yuffie back talked him reminded him of his late wife, _'Hime Kisaragi, the most celebrated Empress of Wutai.'_ Yuffie was shaping up to follow in her mother's footsteps and for mostly the same reasons. A firm belief in justice and an iron will to enforce it.

**xXxXx**

That night Yuffie made her way back out doors, the warm night breeze kissing her over exposed skin. She wore black shorts and a black top that appeared to be little more than a scrap of cloth wrapped several times around her chest. There was no chill in the night air, only warmth and comfort. Yuffie was suddenly reminded of one of her many random moments with Vincent; one of those rare times he'd done something to take her completely by surprise.

_It was two months after he'd returned from Lucrecia's cave, two months after she was certain he was dead, and she had the next ten minutes alone with him. She had a question; it never made much sense to Yuffie to be subtle, unless of course you were a coward. Yuffie Kisaragi, Single White Rose of Wutai, was not a coward…nor was she subtle. _

"_Vincent...?" She didn't look up from the drink she was nursing._

"_Yes?" Red eyes drifted over to the young woman. She shifted uncomfortably a moment and he thought she might just get up and walk away from him._

"_When was the last time you touched someone?" Yuffie tilted her head to one side, glancing at him from the corner of one eye. He was genuinely surprised; not only by the simple question, but to see that she had been completely serious. "I mean, when was the last time _you_ took comfort in another person?"_

"_I never have. Maybe as a boy, but never an adult, remember what I was Yuffie…" He kept his eyes trained on her, watching her, gauging her reactions and anticipating her next question._

"_Hn." She took another careful sip of her drink, wincing at the taste. "I never really had anyone. Sephiroth was, aside from also being the enemy, hell bent on destroying Wutai, my mother was…dead, and, well," She let out a dry chuckle, "Godo is who he is and comfort was _not_ a part of the deal."_

"_Are you asking for-"Yuffie turned the full force of her expressive grey eyed smile on him and he paused expectantly._

"_No." She answered with a sort of resolute confidence he was unaccustomed to seeing in her. "I was just curious if you'd ever held anyone." She closed her eyes and a smirk graced her lips. "I dream of that, being held, I dream that-"Yuffie stopped mid sentence as two strong arms encircled her. "Vincent…?" She whispered into the cool metal of his gauntlet. _

"_You need but ask, Yuffie." He replied, his chin resting against her black satin hair. She had been too surprised to notice the slight tremble of his own, the mild churn of his stomach or the sheer force of will it had taken him to act in that moment. She had never known just how much he'd _wanted _to touch her in that moment. _

_That was how Tifa found them when she returned to the bar. Vincent standing behind Yuffie, arms wrapped securely around her person, eyes closed and Yuffie smiling and calm for the first time in well over two months. Tifa made a noise to alert Vincent to her presence, to her surprise he did not leap away from Yuffie; he simply glanced up at the woman and nodded his acknowledgement to her. If Tifa had been surprised to see them as they were she didn't let it show. _

_Vincent held Yuffie a moment longer, releasing her and taking a half step back. Yuffie shivered as his warmth left her. "You're warm." She'd noted aloud, turning to face him from her barstool. She eyed him, contemplating the difference between his warmth and any other kind of comfort. She could only deduce that she'd rather wear Vincent than a sweater, huddle next to him as opposed to a fire, wrap herself in his arms in place of any kind of blanket. Vincent watched her with mild curiosity, curiosity became shock as her lips brushed his, albeit softly and with a great deal of trepidation. _

"_Yuffie, I-"Yuffie slowly turned toward her room, leaving Vincent alone with his unfinished sentence, doubts, and confusion. She glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes vaguely reminding him of mercury; it seemed the two had similar effects on him. She didn't say anything, turning she continued to her room. _

_Vincent sighed glancing down at the counter, her unfinished cup sat forgotten. He carefully lifted the glass with his metal gauntlet to his lips, he nearly hissed as the whisky burned a path down his throat. He smirked to himself; he couldn't honestly remember the last time he'd been that surprised by anyone. _

Yuffie sighed heavily, her anger had caused her to forget that. She was vaguely aware that shortly after that he began leaving for longer and longer periods of time. She'd suddenly shut him out then, maybe it had been her defense mechanism, a way to keep herself from being hurt in any kind of relationship. He had kept his distance as well, careful not to touch her unnecessarily, speaking only when he had to…then she'd started seeing Reno and he'd just up and left. She had been furious with him, his erratic behavior made her heart feel like a stomping ground for him. She wanted to tell him it was always his, and yet she never did. She turned to Reno and for a short time found a sort of reprieve with him, too bad for her he was a little less than faithful. Vincent had left by then, he had told Tifa he'd be back for her yearly celebration of everything they'd done, however he refused to stay in town. He was restless, he had to move and there just wasn't enough room in the bar for him.

'_What, not enough shadows in town for you to hide in?' Tifa asked with a smirk. Yuffie grinned to herself, watching Vincent squirm from her tucked away spot. She'd been eavesdropping, and being naturally curious to a fault she had to know what was bugging the gunman._

'…_It's simply time for me to move on. I appreciate all you've done for me, all of you-' Tifa's face switched gears and her expression changed so quickly Vincent felt a twinge of fear in his gut._

'_You're just going to __**leave**__ her again?! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you daft? Were you dropped on your head? Weiss must've hit you one too many times." Tifa huffed, slamming her fist roughly into the counter. "She can't **exist** without you…you already know that. Holy, you'd think you were blind and stupid! Did you not see her when you came home? Oh, that's right, you were too uncomfortable to talk to her…' Tifa's voice rose quickly, causing the 'fearless' gunman to back away toward the door._

'_I do not wish to harm her, she has her...resources to turn to, should she be in need…' Tifa didn't miss the glint in his eye, though she kept silent as he continued. 'She's grown into a beautiful woman, I had never intended to hurt her in any way, I wish her the best and I will see her when I return.'_

'_You aren't even going to say goodbye to her…are you?' Vincent looked down at the ground briefly, then back to Tifa and in that instant she knew why he wouldn't. 'You, Vincent Valentine, are a fucking moron.' With that she turned her attention back to setting up Halloween decorations. He'd walked out the door after a moment of her ignoring him, letting the screen slam shut behind him._

_Yuffie felt her gut knot up…that night had been one of the last times she saw him before he left and Reno went batty on her. _

"He's always felt a connection with you, Yuffie." She was surprised this time by the gentle voice behind her.

"He's an ass, Nanaki…" She smirked as he snorted, nudging her back playfully.

"He _was_ locked up for thirty some years, shot by a mad scientist, and experimented on by the great love of his life…well his first life." Nanaki eyed the stars with one golden eye. "His social skills _are_ somewhat lacking, however you could hardly find fault in him for that."

Yuffie giggled at her friend, wrapping one slender arm around his neck. "Thank you for coming with me…" She smiled into his fur. "I love them all, but you always seem to know just what to say…" She whispered, Nanaki lifted his paw and bowed his head in a sort of hug.

"You are like a cub to me, Yuffie, I would do anything I knew how to help you." She felt her heart dance at the thought. "Now I have to help you the hard way…" She looked up at him, confusion written clearly across her delicate features. "You are being an idiot. Get off your hind quarters and go get that man _**back**_ or I will chase you all the way back to Seventh Heaven."

A slow grin worked its way onto her face, making it all the way to her eyes before a light laugh bubbled up from somewhere in her. "I love you, you stupid cat." She hugged him fiercely before standing. "I need to tell my father goodbye before I leave." She stood and with a few graceful leaps she'd cleared three of the rooftops leading to her father's sleeping chamber.

He was asleep so she left another note stuck to the door with another kunai…

'I love you, old man!

Yuffie-_**chan**_'

She and Nanaki managed to stow away on an airship leaving that night toward Kalm, Yuffie had been so nervous, wondering what she'd do now with Vincent, she hadn't had a chance to think about her airsickness.

She stood in the field, staring at the town with a hint of a nervous expression.

"I'm…a little afraid." She admitted.

"I'd expect so, you do realize you are the reason he could not control his anger…you brought out the Galian beast back there…" Nanaki gave her a sideways glance. "Choose your words carefully…and don't expect him to be happy to see you. But, do not walk away simply because he may tell you to…you two are very stubborn, just push through and eventually you will both find a certain medium at which you can settle your differences." The cat stood, turning toward Edge. "You, my dear, must do this on your own…go now, don't waste any more time." She smiled once, turning toward the city she made her way toward it, Nanaki ran the other way, Edge was quite the run if he wanted to make it there by morning.

'_Good luck, Yuffie…'_ He smiled to himself, proud of her. He was somewhat excited to tell Tifa she'd come back home. He knew how much the bartender worried over the girl. He growled to himself, redoubling his speed, activating a haste materia to hopefully get to the bar sooner.

_**A/N:**_

_**Yuffie has a change of heart…sort of. Will Vincent be receptive?**_

_**R&R if you want! :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

I apologize in advance for spelling and grammar errors...I'm not very observant.  
_**Note: I own nothing still, though I wish I did…enjoy a little less angst.**_

**Breathe Me…**

Yuffie had crept through Kalm; she hadn't actually expected to find him there though. He was furious after all. She wandered across the rooftops, watching the people below celebrating yet again. If Kalm had been famous for anything it was their knack for finding any and all reasons to celebrate. Yuffie smiled down at them, her own troubles fading for the moment. She continued moving until she reached his apartment, his window was open and she could make out some sort of crimson fabric flowing in the wind. She felt her heart jump to her throat, she'd been hoping he wasn't here…she could have just left him a note or something.

'Shit…what do I say? Hey, sorry I was a total bitch…forgive me? Yuffie scoffed at her own foolish thought. She sucked in a deep breath and leaped from her perch down to the roof above his window. While she made no sound and there had been no shadow to give her away, she knew he heard it. She took a deep breath, her nerves making her fingers tingle and tremble violently. 'Just buck up, stupid!' she mentally scolded herself. She walked over to the window, the crimson had disappeared and a ragged white curtain lay in its place. She nearly laughed, all the nervous energy leaving her in a second.

"What are you doing here…?" A cool voice didn't quite demand. She cringed, he sounded as hollow as he had when they'd first met him all those years ago. She stood slowly, 'so much for not freaking being here!' She chided herself for letting her attention slip due to her nervousness.

"…I'm not sure, exactly." Yuffie suddenly felt very small beside him. _'…I have done it again.'_ She couldn't help feeling she'd been here many times before with him. "I…I wasn't entirely truthful. Before, when I said I wasn't sure I needed you." She took a chance and glanced up only to find he was looking off into the distance. _'I've hurt myself again…' _Yuffie knew she couldn't blame him. She'd been cruel, and no doubt Tifa and Cloud had given him their fair share of grief.

Vincent, for his part, refused to allow anything she said penetrate the walls he'd forced back into existence. He wasn't one for second chances; it was too much to ask that he let down his defense again. She'd seen him angry, happy, and if only she could understand what else there was that he'd tried to show. It was too late for apologies now; he never did care much for sentiments of that nature.

"Vincent…I was wrong." Yuffie chuckled nervously; this wasn't going quite how she'd thought it would. He was more or less ignoring her. "I'm always wrong." She whispered to herself. He shifted his position, turning to leave.

"Now isn't the time to apologize, you were right. You said your peace, now leave me to mine, _Lady Kisaragi_." She felt her blood go cold and a fury of another sort return in place of what she'd had toward him. She leapt at him faster than even he could track. Her small foot sent him tumbling a good ten feet across the rooftop.

He slowly stood, dusted himself off, and sighed inwardly. That was the third time he'd been knocked down by someone who had at one point or another claimed to be his friend. He felt slight irritation at being slighted so quickly and by so many, though the angry woman rushing toward him at that moment indicated his thoughts ought to be elsewhere. He'd have plenty of time to ponder Tifa, Cloud, and now Yuffie's abuse later. He turned quickly and caught her angry fist as it flew toward his face. Smoldering crimson met pale silver and he gasped at what he saw. She was furious, of course, but he hadn't been prepared for the fear or the obvious emptiness that had filled her…he'd been expecting the anger, the fear was like a punch in the gut. He knew immediately that all this was his fault, and though he'd thought he was helping her by keeping himself in check he could now see the extent to which he'd damaged her.

"You know, you're right! I was wrong and I can't take it back, but at least I came and _said_ I was _sorry!_ You left me to die there, never telling me how you felt, never once giving me anything more than passing glance and hollow gestures of what I assume _you_ thought was friendship! I loved you, more than life itself, and you-"She was cut off by a pair of fierce warm lips colliding with hers. She moaned into the kiss, angry tears trailing down her cheeks as her hands fisted into his cloak. He pulled back to let her breath, a shuddering gasp escaping her. "You left a hole where my heart should have been, Vincent…" Her voice was shaky, trembling with emotions he'd not let himself experience in years.

"Forgive me…That was not my intention." She shook her head in disbelief. Vincent took a deep breath before continuing. "The darkness was never so empty as it had been without you, Yuffie. You are life and beauty and a creature like me doesn't deserve it…I could never tell you how I felt, despite the knowledge you felt the same way." Yuffie trembled in his arms, her attempts to repress her sobs failed as a weak whimper escaped her. She clutched the buckles of his leather shirt and cloak more firmly, as if she'd been willing him not to disappear.

"Then why…?" Her voice broke and it was all Vincent could do not to crush her to him and claim her lips again, if only it'd stop her tears. "Why did you…how come you treated me like I was never very important?" Her eyes turned towards his expectantly. "It all felt…empty, without you there wasn't a reason to really try." Vincent caught her chin and tilted her head up, his hand grazed her jaw line and disappeared into her hair, slowly leaning in for a tentative kiss. She was distracted completely by the perfection that was him, his eyes, the pale skin, his long midnight black hair. Slowly she allowed her small hand to release a portion of his cloak and travel up to his hair. She slid her fingers through it, surprised by the softness. His eyes slid closed as he absently leaned into the gentle touch. Their lips met briefly and he clumsily sought them out when she took a half step back.

"Yuffie, I'm sorry for-" She cut him off, a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth setting into motion a series of events even he couldn't have stopped. Her small, warm fingers gingerly danced across his lips, her eyes bright and curious. She memorized the way they felt beneath her fingertips, afraid he'd run away at any given moment. He watched her, something akin to fascination in his eyes, her fingers trailed down his jaw, then to his neck. When she ran into leather she glanced back up at him, her eyes pleading for him to make some sort of move, give her a sign…she was afraid to push on without his express approval.

He found himself caught in her sterling gaze, a sort of nervous apprehension he hadn't felt since his youth and Lucrecia worming its way into his gut. He drifted closer, her eyes darted from his to his lips and back again. He could feel her pulse pounding through her ribcage as he held her closer. She gasped as his lips delicately, almost shyly, brushed hers. It felt like liquid fire flowing into her veins.

"Vincent…I-"He captured her lips once again, silencing her. He lifted her up, her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as he did. He took a few steps back toward his window and carefully maneuvered them inside, his lips never leaving hers. As soon as they were inside the apartment, Yuffie found herself pinned between his warm body and the cold wall. She gasped as she felt him press fully against her. His gauntlet carefully gripped her hip as his gloved hand angled her down into the kiss. He nipped her lip causing her to gasp, his tongue danced against hers sending delighted chills racing up and down her spine. He couldn't hold back a groan of pleasure as he tasted her, her sweet jasmine sent combined with the unique spice that was so inherently her taste nearly drove him mad right then and there..

Yuffie felt the fire, what had started as a spark, blossom into a full force inferno as he groaned into her, her mind reeling at all the sensations she was experiencing. She unclasped his cloak, letting it fall around them, his leather bindings proved to be less difficult than she'd expected them to be and they were quickly undone and the shirt came loose. He released her from the kiss, moving down to kiss a burning trail down her neck, lifting her higher against the wall with little effort. She dug her fingers into his shoulder as his gauntlet dug into her hip, she gasped as the other slid under her shirt and slowly lifted it. Vincent made sure to kiss and taste every inch of her newly exposed skin. Yuffie was writhing in his arms and it only seemed to fuel his proverbial fire for the young woman. He reached her bindings wrapped around her chest. Vincent switched hands, wrapping his arm around her waist as his metal digits traced along the cloth. Yuffie watched him with a heady expression, her grey eyes smoldering with desire. His eyes met hers, she saw the silent question and nodded slowly.

Time stopped as he peeled the soft cloth from around her, letting the last of it slide off on its own. Yuffie could feel all the restraint he had weakening as he leaned in slowly, placing a delicate kiss above her heart. Her hands shot to his hair and shoulders. He continued to kiss around each delicate mound of sensitive flesh, causing Yuffie to gasp in delight as he did. She could hardly hold still as he continued his exploration of her.

He stopped, his hot breath coming in gasps as he tried to hold back still, keeping himself from doing all the things he'd wanted to years ago.

"What are you waiting for, Vincent?" Yuffie's voice was equally breathless, edgy even. Vincent was sure he'd heard her frustrations coming out. A glance up at her confirmed his suspicions. He smirked up at her, if she wanted it all then by all means he'd give it to her. Heaven forbid he keep his ninja from any one thing she desires.

Yuffie moaned loudly as his tongue traced around one very aroused nipple, capturing the pert bud in his teeth before wrapping his lips around her. She clutched furiously at his hair and shoulders, her breath coming in uneven pants as he continued to tease her, nipping and tasting her. He seemed vaguely aware she was beyond words and released her from the wall, still holding her against himself as he moved over to the bed beneath the window. He pressed himself fully into her, thus pressing her into the mattress. Her legs tightened as she felt something press against her intimately. Her mind was racing and she had no way of verbally expressing just what she'd wanted, so she did the next best thing.

Vincent let out a ragged groan as Yuffies small hand grazed his hardened length through the leather pants, delicate fingers making his skin burn for her. Her other hand made quick work of the buckles and bindings, releasing him from his leather prison.

Vincent froze, his mind suddenly catching up with him. He took in her olive complexion, flawless skin so soft he nearly apologized for his own calloused hands. She lay beneath him, her skin shimmering, breath coming in short uneven pants as his hands moved of their own accord. He could remember the blinding fury he'd felt at seeing Reno touching her as he slowly bent down to kiss her pulse point against her neck. She moaned and he remembered her being there when he'd lost his protomateria to Rosso. She tasted of spice and something sweet, he was reminded once again of Wutai in the autumn.

"Yuffie…are you…sure?" She was writhing beneath him, his self control suddenly, and surprisingly, back in play. She opened her eyes, a curious smile gracing her lips. She lifted one small hand to his face gently cupping his cheek; slowly she lifted up to place a hesitant kiss against his lips. His metal gauntlet wrapped around her waist holding her off the bed against him, her arms wrapped around his neck and fisted in his thick hair. He let out a relieved groan as she deepened the kiss, her nails digging into his back as his tongue brushed against hers.

Her voice was hardly a whisper against his ear, "I belong here…" She sighed as she positioned herself against him more intimately. "I always have." He couldn't help but agree as her small hands fisted in his hair, nails digging into his scalp as he slowly moved against her. "_Gods…_only you could ever do _this_ to me." Her voice held an edge he was unaccustomed to hearing. He didn't bother trying to hold back a deep moan as Yuffie flexed the muscles of her legs just so and thrust her supple body back against him, she groaned with him as he filled her to the hilt. She was hardly capable of anything more than whimpering and moaning against him. Without thinking Vincent gripped the wooden head board to balance his weight and immediately began thrusting in earnest. He craved the moans and gasps; he needed to hear her whimpering his name. It was as if her voice was the last thing keeping him grounded in this world. She threw her head back, letting out a shuddering cry as his lips and teeth tasted and kissed any skin exposed within their reach.

"Only…you." Yuffie moaned breathlessly against his neck, kissing and tasting his skin, reveling in the feeling of his every muscle moving against her, taking much pride in the knowledge that the groans and growls coming from him were in direct response to the feeling of _her_ body and _his_ desire for her.

She knew, the instant she caught his eye, that it had been a mistake. The crimson depths spoke volumes even though he rarely did, she saw all the passion he could never voice aloud, felt every burning emotion he must have felt, and her breath caught in her throat for the briefest moment before all at once the world went white as every nerve lit up, ripping a deep, passion filled moan from her. His name spilled from her perfect lips like a prayer, he thrust once more groaning her name in his own release.

The feeling following was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, she was warm and comforting…not cold and uncaring. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck as he slowly lowered her sweat soaked form against the sheets, kissing her delicate skin, whispering words of encouragement and desire in her ears, kissing and tasting the sweetness of her skin. He thought she tasted vaguely of honey. She gasped at his words, her body responding once again to his lips and soft caress. He made to move to her side and simply bask in her beauty and the afterglow of what had to be the most incredible experience of his enhanced life. She gripped his powerful fore arms firmly in her small hands, her eyes boring into him seductively, he felt a sudden chill race down his spine as her voice, husky from their intense lovemaking, reached his ears.

"Not yet…I want _more_…" He couldn't stop the smirk that graced his lips as she gasped at the feel of his already hardened length brushing against her core once again.

"You will be the very end of me…" He moved down, kissing her lips, her neck, and between her still heaving breasts. He shifted and lay beside her, watching her expressions closely as his human hand skimmed over one pert mound. "…and how could I resist _you_?" He cupped her carefully, gently rolling the perfect rosy nipple between his thumb and forefinger as his mouth claimed hers again, swallowing her moans.

He would give her whatever she wanted for as long as she wanted it, too afraid to let logic take over again. Logically he should have sent her away, logically he should not be touching her…he was nearly thirty years older than her, though by all outward appearance he seemed to be right around the same age. Logic dictated that he was making a series of unforgivable mistakes…but then he'd never experienced a warmth like hers before. He forced logic out of his mind as another moan wrapped around his name and erupted from her mouth as his devoured her. _'She even _tastes_ like Wutai…'_ He thought briefly, continuing to bring her to an all new heightened sense of pleasure. He hadn't a concern left, all his worries could wait, she was here and she _craved_ him just as he did her...what more was there?

_**A/N: **__There…I'm not sure I'm quite happy…but I couldn't handle the angst, though this is far from over…just thought they needed to have their feelings justified. Inspired by the song of the same name sung by the artist 'Sia'. Check it out.  
__By the way…there's a lemon in there somewhere…heh.  
__R&R please and thank you._

_Also, I've been a terrible reviewer…  
__**Go check out ValentinesNinja and her story 'Princess of Theives' I absolutely LOVE it!! And that story is really freaking awesome.  
**__**And if you like Zack(k) and Tifa check out 'Turn the Page' That fic is as epic as it is lovely.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Note:**__ First of all…sorry it took so long to update. Hit somewhat of a road block._

_Second: I own nothing…tragic, I know._

_Also, Yuffie has a few flash backs while she's talking to Tifa but I didn't want to complicate it by putting it all in italics…Vincent is moderately OOC, sorry…I'm out of practice writing him._

_I'm going to blame my tardiness on 'Princess of Theives' I would rather read that fic than finish my own ;) You should check it out. It, like all of her others, is amazing and fun to read!!_

_Lina has this to say: 47yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyrtcyyyyyyyyyyyyy6ghjklou[['ljjfcff (she's 4)_

**xXxXx**

"Tifa! Tifatifatiiiifaaa!" Marlene squealed as she raced through the bar and up the stairs toward Tifa's room. "Tifa where are you?!"

"I'm in the office, Marley. What's going on, you ok?" Tifa's head shot out the doorway, her hair piled on her head in a messy bun and her clothes filthy from cleaning all day. Marlene scrunched up her nose.

"You smell like Pledge…oh, and Yuffie's home." Marlene bolted once again down the stairs and out the door before Tifa had a chance to fully process what had just happened.

"H…home?" Her eyes lit up like the fourth of July then as she laughed excitedly. "CLOUD!"

"What? I'm right behind you?" He winced at her volume. "Wait a minute…did Marley just say-?"

"Hell yes she did!" Tifa gave him a sloppy kiss before bolting down the stairs toward the bar. She let out an excited bark of laughter at seeing Yuffie, who was now smiling and standing next to a very pleased looking Nanaki.

"Oh, sweet mother of Jenova, you smell like zombie lemons…eww!" Yuffie recoiled immediately from Tifa. "Shower!" Tifa laughed and hugged her anyway, Yuffie returning the gesture with gusto.

"I missed you!" Tifa took a step back, eyeing Yuffie for a moment. Her smile had returned, her color was better, and her eyes weren't nearly as hollow as they had been when she'd left. "What changed?" Tifa cocked her head to the side.

"Am I to understand that you, Cloud, _and _I all decked Vincent?" Tifa stared wide eyed for a moment before both girls dissolved into peels of laughter.

"Hey! He deserved it! I mean he was like…emotionless and emo-"Tifa patted Cloud's shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it, dear." Yuffie grinned at him.

"You punched him in my honor? I freaking love you, chocobo head!" She leapt toward him, hugging him for all she was worth. Turning quickly to Tifa and giving her the same treatment.

"Ok, ok…I'm going to shower, help yourself to whatever you want. When I get back I want to know what happened to you…" Yuffie smiled and nodded.

* * *

_Two days before…_

Vincent awoke to warmth he hadn't felt in years. He lay still, eyes closed, taking in the sensation of limbs draped haphazardly over him and her shallow breathing. He gave a contented sigh as she unconsciously tightened her grip around his chest. He ventured to open an eye, glancing over at her.

Yuffie lay sprawled across him, her pink lips parted slightly as she slept, and her hair splayed beautifully behind her. He felt his breath catch as she groaned as she began to wake. Her eyes flittered open, taking in the bare skin her body was flush against.

"Vincent?" She whispered huskily.

"Hn…" He held back a small smile as she stared back at him questioningly. She stared a moment longer as her delicate fingers trailed up and down his ribs. He closed his eyes a moment only to have them fly open in shock at the sharp pain in his side. He grunted abruptly, turning to her. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to be sure this was real." She stated simply, a shy smile gracing her lips.

Vincent chuckled then and rolled onto his side. "Yes, Yuffie…this is real." He held her closer, kissing her forehead sweetly. He was suddenly aware that he'd never before willingly offered such obvious signs of affection and at the same time he felt strangely satisfied in the action.

"I missed you." Yuffie remarked offhandedly. Vincent's crimson gaze met hers; she could see all the questions he wanted to ask and never would hiding just behind his indifferent stare. "When you left, after we defeated Sephiroth…I missed you." She took a deep breath, burrowing deeper into his embrace. "You left and wanted nothing to do with us anymore…I missed you more than anyone else." Vincent felt his insides twist with an uncomfortable emotion he hadn't felt in years. He was acutely aware, then, of the fact that he hadn't allowed himself to really _feel_anything since Lucrecia.

"I didn't think it would have been safe for me to stay. Chaos was still too volatile and unpredictable for me to be near anyone." Yuffie did not turn to meet his even stare this time; she lay still as she listened to the steady beat of his heart. "Also…" He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "I needed time."

"Time to heal…" Yuffie finished quietly.

"Yes. It was…_difficult _for me. I had killed the son of a woman I cared deeply for." Yuffie did turn this time, though instead of a frown he was surprised to see she was smiling sadly up at him.

"I hadn't thought of that…" She moved closer, her lips brushing his temple in a sweet kiss. "I'm sorry, Vincent, for all you've lost." She whispered against his skin. He tightened his grip around her, kissing the junction of her neck and shoulders.

"Thank you, Yuffie…" She wrapped her arms around his neck in gentle hug. "Thank you for understanding…" He thought for a moment, confused himself with what he was trying to tell her. It was simple enough to state what he wanted, however he was not the type of person to say such things aloud. "…thank you." He finished, deciding at the last minute to retract his previously not so well thought out sentence. She chuckled, kissing his head once more before moving to a sitting position.

"I should head back to Edge. Tifa's probably worried sick or angry as all get out with me." Vincent unconsciously rubbed his jaw.

"She was quite _displeased_ with me…they both were." Vincent released her, watching as she sat in the middle of the bed with the sheet wrapped around her.

"What does that mean?" Yuffie eyed him suspiciously, noticing the very faintest of bruising. "Did she hit you?!" Yuffie covered her mouth in shock.

"As did Cloud, though I must admit the strikes were both well earned." Vincent frowned at that, he'd been so thoughtless in his arrogant attempt to protect her from himself. "I was being…selfish."

"They could have just _said _that." Yuffie cupped his cheek, her eyes glittering beautifully with both admiration for her friends and sympathy for her gunman.

"They did, I chose not to listen to reason." Vincent smirked faintly at her as she chuckled, loving Tifa and Cloud more in that moment than she could ever remember.

"I'm sorry we hit you." She smiled broadly at him; he couldn't do much more than stare as though he were hypnotized as she slowly leaned for a slow kiss that left him burning for more.

"I forgive you." His deep voice sending chills down her spine. He was slightly surprised at how easy it was to forgive someone, having never done it before.

She kissed his cheek. "Will you come with me?" She asked a bit hesitantly.

"I will meet you there, I have an errand to attend to before I leave town." Yuffie appeared quite pleased with his answer.

As she moved to stand he caught her around the waist, his metal digits grazing her soft skin. Yuffie smirked playfully at him as he gently pulled her back down to the warmth of the sheets.

"Not yet…" He whispered as her lips met his in another burning kiss. She felt her nerves all light up as one; her skin began to tingle as his tongue leisurely explored the recesses of her mouth, moaning softly as his hands roamed her body. She felt dizzy and giddy as he broke away, moving to a sitting position with her firmly astride his lap. "It's strange…now that I know what I was missing I find that I _need _more of you." Yuffie stared for a moment, taking in the seriousness and gravity of what he was saying.

"I've always needed you; you just weren't ready to understand." She spoke slowly, her eyes not meeting his. He gently cupped her cheek, angling her face up toward his. She gasped at the sincerity his red eyes held, she sighed as his lips collided roughly with hers, her body responding quickly to his touch.

* * *

"So he followed you to Wutai? What were you doing in Wutai? Gods you were gone for like two weeks!" Tifa took a sip of her tea, shifting her position on her end of the loveseat to get more comfortable. She and Yuffie had been up for the last two hours talking about the time Yuffie was away, drinking Wutaian Jasmine tea and eating Cloud's 'right-out-of-the-package' sugar cookies.

"Do you want to know about Vincent or my trip home?" Yuffie laughed as Tifa pulled a face.

"I want to know everything, now spill." She took another small bite of her cookie.

"I went to Wutai to see my father, I left here and two days into it Nanaki tells me he's been following us. I was happy…you know? But at the same time I wanted to scream. I wasn't ready to see him and at that point I'd convinced myself I was over him." Yuffie glared a moment, remember how they'd fought. "He wouldn't leave well enough alone, said I was being childish for not speaking to him…He didn't even realize it was _because_ of him I was running."

"He was trying to set everything right. You know it's strange, he showed up literally two minutes after we found your note." Yuffie gave Tifa a blank stare.

"Yeah…so he's always done weird shit like that." Tifa gave Yuffie a knowing smile.

"He'd been watching you…"

"What?! Like spying on me?" Yuffie sputtered in disbelief. "He didn't have to go all stalker on me…"

"I don't mean like sitting outside your window and watching you get all naked and what not. He's always had his eye on you. It's like…" Tifa waved her cookie around as she tried to find the words. "He wants to protect you from everything, from pain, sorrow; he doesn't want to see you _need_anything so he stays near you to make sure you never want for anything." Yuffie took a steady sip of her tea and a deep breath.

"He was there when Reno tried to…and every fight." Yuffie sucked in a ragged breath. "You'd think that with all the time I've spent pining after this guy I would have noticed something like that."

"It's funny how things like that hide in plain sight." Tifa let her eyes drift toward the stairs leading to the bedroom she and Cloud shared. Yuffie rolled her eyes and made a mock gagging motion toward Nanaki, who'd been resting quietly on a small bed Tifa'd made by the fire. He smiled at the young girls antics. "Knock it off, you brat." Both girls giggled. "Now…finish your story!"

"So, we argued in Wutai…" Yuffie spoke slowly, as if it still hurt to remember what had happened.

Tifa's ears perked up then. "You talked to him!?"

"Yeah…it was awful, Teef. He was so upset with me. He called my behavior childish and treated me like he always does!" Yuffie slammed her fist into the unsuspecting pillow. "I wanted to scream at him, tell him how stupid and idiotic…and damned pathetic he was for chasing me down like that…but I didn't have the strength. I just asked him to leave and walked away…"

Tifa openly gaped at the girl. "You're kidding…you've been waiting for that moment for so long, Yuffie." She sounded upset, maybe a little let down herself with Yuffie's behavior.

"I know, it was just…I was _so _angry. I couldn't breath with him that close and acting so hurt by me leaving. He never noticed before, why start now? What was so special about this time? I've never mattered to him until then, what changed?" Yuffie's eyes had gone cold, remembering that night vividly.

* * *

_The day before…_

Vincent sat silently at her side as she slept, her bare arm draped over his lap, head resting against his chest. She smiled in her sleep, replaying every moment of the last two nights in her mind. She felt her skin tingle and burn as his fingers traced along her skin.

Vincent felt something within him stir at the sight of her. Her long ebony hair pooled around her shoulders and across his chest where her head lay. She murmured his name in her sleep; her eyes seemed to stare right through all his carefully constructed barriers, and when they made love…

He was forced from his thoughts as a soft voice called his attention back to the present. His heart skipped a beat as warm lips left a smoldering trail up to his neck and delicate finger traced along the many scars he had.

"What are you thinking, Vincent?" She asked quietly, kissing along his neck and nipping lightly at the pulse point as he sighed, groaning softly with need.

"This is…strange…" It took him a moment to find his voice; her lips seemed to hold a strange power over him.

"Mmm…how so?" She continued finding new places against his skin that initiated the same low groans and sighs she so loved to hear from him.

He couldn't respond right away as her small fingers began dancing lower against his abdomen and down against his hips. She shifted her position, settling between his strong legs, lifting up on her elbows she kissed up his chest. He let her name out in a ragged gasp.

"Oh, Vincent…and I thought you had such _incredible_ self control." She nipped his skin, smirking playfully at him. He allowed a small smirk in return.

"I wasn't being distracted by such a skilled woman then." He gasped as she let her nails trail up the tender skin along his rib cage.

"Skilled am I? Hn…we'll have to put that to the test." She kissed his palm, turning her mercury eyes back to his. "What's so strange about this?"

He watched her a moment, noticing the vast differences between her and Lucrecia. Grace and beauty the two had shared in their own unique ways, however Yuffie had something incredible that the scientist never did. Yuffie had a warrior's spirit; she fought a hard, bloody war to earn back her country and her own right to choose. Nothing had ever been simply 'handed over' to Yuffie; she'd fought and even killed for everything she'd had. "You're stronger than I am accustomed to most women being…"

Yuffie looked rather befuddled as he spoke. "What?"

"You have incredible strength; you never back down from a fight…" He stopped as her smile dimmed, instantly he knew where her thoughts had gone. "I had to be sure." Her eyes shot up to his. "I was afraid I'd hurt you if I followed my feelings."

"You did hurt me…" Yuffie lowered her gaze once again.

Vincent held her, kissing the crown of her head, her cheeks, down to her trembling lips, whispering apologies in her native tongue. "Forgive me…I never intended to do so."

Yuffie felt her heart jump to her throat at his words, she suddenly felt shaky and giddy as she let out a long shuddering breath. "How could I _not_ forgive you?" She eyed him a moment, curiosity getting the better of her. "What changed your mind?"

"You gave up and I was suddenly very aware that what _I_ cared so much over and worried about were such _trivial_ things." Her eyes lit up at his admission. "I did care that you are a princess, an heiress, I do care that you are young and I most certainly am not…and yet I don't give a damn at all. I wanted you to be happy, to have everything you'd ever needed…and I wanted to be responsible for that happiness." He felt his chest tighten at the look in her eyes; he could feel her heart pounding in her chest as he spoke, his voice low and steady. "I want you to stay here with me…I want to be a part of all that you are…"

Yuffie felt her breathing hitch and her eyes burning with fresh tears at his words. She buried her head against his chest, drawing in another shuddering breath mumbling against his skin. "Is that true?" He simply nodded as she lifted her tear streaked face.

She kissed him with furious abandon, relishing every touch, gasp, and the very smell of him as he took his time memorizing her laughter, the way her eyes seemed to stare right into him, and the sound of her moans as he made love to her…

* * *

"I'm surprised he even came after you, actually. Cloud said he seemed utterly despondent and that the last he saw of him he was heading for the mansion." Tifa and Yuffie had spent four hours now, talking about the last two weeks Yuffie had been gone. More and more Yuffie seemed to be falling into her old ways, much to Tifa's delight. Cloud had stopped by once to see how they were doing and say once again that he was glad Yuffie had come home.

Yuffie laughed. "Nanaki and I headed that way and then decided half way there we were going to go another way."

"Ah, well he was hot on your trail that whole time. It's strange, really. He never before expressed outwardly what he was feeling. And yet you can see it so clearly in him." Tifa's brow furrowed as she spoke.

"What's that?" Yuffie asked absentmindedly as she made to reach for another cookie, only half paying attention as the confectionery treat was now at the forefront of her mind.

"He loves you…" Tifa noticed how the ninja froze halfway between her seat and the cookie. "Are you ever going to finish this story or am I going to have to wake Nanaki to get the real scoop?" Tifa handed the shaken woman her cookie.

"I'll talk, I'll talk…sheesh." Yuffie settled back into the mass of pillows and fluffy blanket. "I went to Kalm the next night. It took forever to get there, we even _flew_ there!"

"Like on an airship 'flew'?" Tifa lifted a questioning eyebrow.

"No, like I glued chocobo feathers to my arms and jumped of Da Chao kind of '_flew' _Tifa." Yuffie gave her a sidelong stare. "I was so wrapped up in what I was going to say to Vince I hadn't even thought of being in the air. It was…surreal, looking down on everything as we flew by." Yuffie sat her now empty cup down. "I found him, though, in Kalm. He was in his old apartment rotting away." Tifa frowned at Yuffie's darkened countenance. "I kicked him…right in the head. I nearly knocked him off the roof." Tifa gasped, coughing up tea she'd tried to swallow at that moment.

"You _what?_" Tifa chortled at the girl. "So that's what you meant by 'we've all decked him'." Tifa turned to Yuffie expectantly. "Well, you're smiling and you seem to have your spirit back to some degree…did you smooth things over?"

Yuffie's eyes seemed to stare far off for a moment, smiling absently. "Eight times…"

_**A/N:**_

_I don't like it but at least there's another chapter. I wanted it to be something...else, don't know what, but whatever…maybe it's fine. You be the judge! _

_R&R please, constructive critisism is always appreciated!!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Note-**_ _Prepare your gag reflexes, it gets sappy and Vincent goes WAY OOC…sorry, I'm out of practice writing him. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews, I'm glad you still like it :) _

_!Uh...lemon...and lots of it...just to warn you...!_

_**-Love Song for the Dear Departed-**_

xXxXx

'_Son of a bitch…' _Yuffie glared as she launched herself toward yet another target, huffing at the satisfying crunch as the wood and steel gave way to her foot. _'Son of a fucking bitch!' _She grunted as her fist connected with the solid wood, shattering the target.

"Brat, you out here?" Yuffie shot off her shuriken, her reflexes kicking into overdrive right along with her temper. "SHIT!" Cid dropped to the ground, narrowly dodging her massive weapon.

"Sorry! I was training, I just sort of…sorry." Yuffie caught the Conformer easily. Cid found it fairly impressive, he certainly couldn't catch her pinwheel of death. Barrett had caught it once with his gun arm, Yuffie had laughed uncontrollably while Barrett cursed enough to put Cid to shame. Yuffie frowned, something that was very unlike her. Cid noted she looked worn out, unhappy. She and Tifa had that in common, they had a tendency to burn their anger out through practice and honing their skills.

"You in a bad mood 'er what?!" Yuffie nodded, ready and eager to get back to fighting her imaginary adversary. Cid eyed the girl a moment. "Hang on…" He ran out of the training room only to return a moment later, shirtless and with 'Venus Gospel' in hand. "I could use the practice." He gave her a cocky grin. Yuffie smiled gratefully back at him.

"You're on, old man." Yuffie returned the taunt, winding up Conformer and letting it fly. They shot off toward each other, Cid easily dodging the bladed weapon and Yuffie artfully ducking and diving around his spear. She made it all look so easy, flying and bending through the air at impossible angles. Cid thrust the spear toward her, she stopped, staring him down. They had the added benefit of having mastered cure materia on them, knowing that should she accidentally nail him with her shuriken, the damage could be immediately undone, as such the thought of being struck by the others weapon didn't phase either fighter. Cid's face lit up with a feral grin as he charged toward her, Yuffie returned the grin and readied herself for the blow. Cid blinked and she had vanished, he felt an unfamiliar weight on the spear and gasped to see Yuffie charging up the heavy pole toward him, fist half cocked and ready to strike. Cid dodged, dropping the weapon and her with it. She jumped to the side as he kicked the Venus Gospel up, catching it easily and charging right back at her. Her Conformer and his spear clashed, sparks flew from both weapons causing both fighters to jump back in surprise.

"What in the hell was that?!" Yuffie gasped, looking back at Cid with a humorous mix of confusion and accusation.

"Hell if I know! Why are you yellin' at me? It aint like I did it on purpose!" Cid slammed the butt of the spear into the mat. He eyed his weapon a moment, checking to see if she'd actually scratched it.

"Oh, for Leviathan sake it's a damn stick! I have to file out these grooves by hand and that takes _hours_!" Yuffie motioned at her Conformer and the six inch long gouge the tip of the Venus Gospel had left in it. Cid shrugged, leaning the weapon against the wall.

"You gonna call it quits over a lil ol' scratch on that pinwheel of yers?" Cid grinned roguishly at her, Yuffie's temper got the better of her in that instant and she threw Conformer, lodging it in a wooden pillar.

"Hand to hand, Smokey…_I need the practice_." Yuffie said with a sickly sweet smile.

"Yer on, kid…" Cid took a defensive stance as Yuffie came flying toward him. They went round and round for more than an hour. Sparring like they hadn't fought in years now. That was how Vincent found them, Yuffie pinned beneath a shirtless, sweaty man.

"Fucker…" Yuffie grunted, flipping Cid over, kicking him soundly in the gut and doing a back flip to get some distance.

"You never swore like that before…" Cid shook the sweat from his hair. "What's eatin' you kid?" Yuffie glared furiously at him, her silver eyes turning steely and guarded.

"Nothing is fucking wrong…" She launched at him again, flipping around and planting her foot in his solar plexus, sending him clear across the training room. Cid struggled to stand only to collapse again. While he may be in peak physical condition and healthy as could be, he was no match for a woman in her twenties with significantly more skill in the foot vs. his gut area.

"Shit…" he coughed, standing unsteadily as he gasped for air. "Well…you fight…like somethin' is sure God damned bothering you." Cid groaned collapsing to the floor of the training room. "I'm an old man, brat! You can't go beatin' me up any time you damn well please!" Yuffie walked over, collecting Conformer and sitting on the ground beside him with a huff.

"It's nothing…sorry, cap'n." Yuffie lay herself next to him, her shorts and t-shirt soaked thoroughly in sweat and sticking to her skin. Cid groaned, attempting once again to sit up.

"It aint nothin' I can't handle." He gave her a rare smile. She realized in that moment he was quite handsome, despite being older than dirt and a chain smoking smart ass. She smiled back, her face lighting up like he hadn't seen in a long time. Cid stood, struck by something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He wanted to ask where she'd gone, what had happened to her, if Tifa was telling the truth and she and the Vamp had finally made amends…however, the sorrow behind her eyes told him one of the two wasn't quite up on all the facts. "I'll see ya, brat. Thanks for not kickin' my ass too bad." He smirked as he lit a cigarette and made his way from the training hall.

"Fuck…" Yuffie closed her eyes and lay still for a moment. She heard a door shut, was faintly aware of the sound of a lock engaging. She opened her eyes and the lights had dimmed. "Oh hell…" She sighed, standing slowly. Suddenly she was hit with the overwhelming scent of gunpowder and the hint of something intensely masculine. She froze, she'd been sure he wouldn't be coming after all…it had been three weeks and not a word from him. Whatever it was, it was gone as soon as she felt it. She felt hot tears welling up in her eyes, she was so angry she couldn't think straight and with a mighty roar launched her Conformer as hard as she could toward the opposite wall, there was that satisfying crunch of metal slicing through metal. Yuffie couldn't hold herself up anymore, she collapsed again to the floor sobbing uncontrollably.

"Stupid stupid girl! Stupid fucking girl!" She growled out between sobs. "Like he fucking cared…DAMNIT!" Yuffie threw just about every shuriken and throwing weapon she had on her toward Conformer, screaming she launched herself again at the target. Her progress was halted and she quickly found herself held down by something much stronger than she. She opened her mouth to scream only to be silenced by a fierce kiss, two hands began roaming all across her body, one gloved and the other…metal? Her eyes shot open and in the dim light she caught crimson orbs staring back at her. She stared a moment before finding her voice. "You bastard!" Her hands were suddenly held firmly above her head and her legs were immobilized by his weight atop her. He kissed her again, more passionately than before, and while she was melting into his warmth she fought every step of the way.

"Forgive me…" He whispered against her lips. "…please." Yuffie lost all her steam, all her anger vanished with a single breathless plea from him. She couldn't stop herself from moaning into his kiss as his hands held her firmly, pulling her up to a sitting position. He kissed along her neck, releasing her hands in order to allow his to wind into her midnight black tresses. She gasped as he gave her a less than gentle tug, tilting her head back as he nipped and kissed along the column of her throat. She knew something was bothering him, the way he was desperately seeking something within her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he buried his face against her. She smoothed her hands through his hair, trying everything she could think of to sooth him. His hands gripped her hips firmly and without a second thought Yuffie began to kiss him with as much passion as she could muster.

Vincent groaned against her, eagerly attempting to memorize every inch of her. He pulled her clothes from her skin, kissing every bit of skin he uncovered. She made quick work of the buckles on his pants, in her frustration she used one of her kunai to slice through his shirt. Neither seemed to notice, however, fighting to get the other undressed. Yuffie could do little more than gasp and pant as his mouth left a burning trail down her abdomen. It was a fire she'd never felt in all her years, a burning she never wanted to stop. Soon she was nearly screaming his name, one hand clasped firmly in his while his gantlet arm had a firm hold around her midsection. Her free hand fisted in his hair, each tug only urging him on. She shuddered violently as she reached her release, moaning his name as she came down from her high.

Without a word his lips were upon hers again, a jolt shooting through her as she tasted herself on him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, he kissed her to swallow her shallow cry as he buried himself within her warmth. Groaning her name, gasping and sighing with each thrust, his fingers were digging into her soft skin.

"_Yuffie…watashi wa __hoshii ittou. Watashi katakana…" _Yuffie covered his lips with hers, silencing him. She hadn't heard him speaking their native tongue in so long it sounded foreign to her. She felt something knot in her gut, he'd been afraid to return to her. She watched him as she pulled back, their eyes locking momentarily, his eyes grew darker with each thrust into her. Yuffie shifted her hips in time with his movements, he landed on his back with her moving in perfect rhythm against him, He threw his head back, eyes clamping shut as a guttural moan erupted from him. Yuffie felt her breath catch at the sight, eager to hear the sound again she moved harder and faster against him. She was rewarded by another deep, resounding moan as both hands dug into her lithe hips. She was nearly there, she could feel her body beginning to pulse all around him. He sat up abruptly, the motion driving him into her and sending them both over the edge simultaneously. He bit down onto her shoulder as she fisted her hands into his hair and threw her head back, letting out a deep moan wrapped around his name. No sooner had she felt her orgasm reach its crescendo did she feel him lift her from the mats only to have her overheated body shoved roughly against something cool and hard. She opened her eyes and realized with a start they were in the shower room that was adjacent to the training room. With his gauntlet he turned the water on, holding her up and against him with the other. Just the feeling of him still buried deeply within her was enough to nearly push her over the edge again. And then he was moving, slow and sensuously. She felt something else knot in her gut as the warm water pelted their frames. He kissed her soundly, his metal arm wrapped around her waist while the other angled her deeper into the kiss, gently stroking her cheek and running his fingers through her damp hair.

"Vincent…Vin-Vincent…" He looked up, his eyes were different. There was sorrow, need, and something dark starring her right in the face. "_Leviathan…_" She kissed him gently, carefully. "You never needed to ask for my forgiveness, Vincent. I forgave you years ago…" He closed his eyes slowly, pressed firmly against her wet skin.

"I was…unsure." He spoke slowly, she wondered if he'd gone to the cave first and that had brought all his old insecurities back out.

"I was angry." She admitted openly, glancing up at him. "I thought you were never going to show up. Three weeks and not a single word from you." Yuffie brushed a wayward bit of wet hair from his face, tracing along his jaw line as she did. "I was angry…and now I'm not."

Vincent leaned into her soft hand, reveling in the strange emotions coursing through him. He wanted this girl, this woman, more now than he had ever wanted anything in the past. He watched her, watched as she struggled with her own emotions. This was all strange and new to her as well.

"I am sorry it has taken me so long to be honest with you…" She smiled at him, and in that moment she loved him more than she ever had before. She felt strangely at peace at his admission, closing her eyes as he kissed her again. He moved against her, stoking the proverbial fire within. She gasped at the sudden change that had come over both of them. He wasn't desperately seeking absolution within her this time, he was careful and gentle. She watched as his half lidded eyes met hers, her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

"Yuffie…" He grunted, kissing her softly. "I…I love you." She closed her eyes as he kissed her again, tears pouring down her cheeks as he moved faster and harder against her. _"Aishiteru…" _He kissed along her neck. "_Aishiteru…" _She let out a small cry as he kissed her cheek, whispering again into her ear. "_Saiai, aishiteru." _Yuffie let out a sob that quickly became a pleasured moan. He held her close as she tumbled and fell in slow motion over the edge, crying out his name as she went. She'd never felt a warmth like his before, he growled out her name, whispering words of love and adoration in their native tongue as he did. She wanted to laugh, cry, pull herself into him and stay in this new warmth forever.

She struggled to catch her breath, the water no longer as warm as it had been when they'd first made their way into the shower room. He gently lowered her to the ground, her legs were wobbly from the combination of several hours of training and _him._ He steadied her as she adjusted the water to a warmer temperature. She turned her back to him as she began to work the shampoo through her hair. She suddenly felt his hands against her skin, smiling to herself she leaned back against him, reveling in the feel of his water slick muscled frame beneath hers.

"I loved you…in secret." She whispered as his hands began to work away the ache in her over worked muscles. "From the moment Rosso took your protomateria, before that even…from the moment you saved me from Nero, everything in me changed and all I wanted was to be…_this._" She motioned to them. "I couldn't breath without you…I didn't think I'd make it without you." She turned to face him, rinsing her long hair.

"Why…why do you love me?" Vincent watched her intently, Yuffie felt the vague urge to cover herself up under his scrutiny. She took his hand in hers and stared for a long moment at him.

"Only you can take away this pain…only you can make me feel whole again." She ran her delicate fingers across the multitude of scars on his chest. "You are incredible, brave…you have this knack for saving us and being there when we need you. I love the way your hair blows in the wind, I love the color of your eyes, the sound of your voice, the way you always smell of gunpowder and something…incredible. I absolutely love that you are unique, I don't care that you should be sixty something, you might live forever, you might live as long as me…we all might die tomorrow. I only care about right now and spending this time with you." Yuffie stood tall, standing by her statement. Vincent stood stalk still, his blood red eyes boring into her. He took a step closer to her. Cautiously he brought a hand up to her chin, gently tracing his calloused fingers along her cheek.

"So beautiful…" He murmured as his fingers ran through her hair. Slowly he leaned down toward her, she was mesmerized by him, the small smile at the corner of his lips.

"Yuffie? Yuffie are you- Oh, goodness!" Tifa came around the corner to see the two of them naked and wet behind a shower curtain.

"Tifa?!" Both women dove for cover, Yuffie going behind Vincent who cocked an eyebrow and gave Tifa a wayward glance before reaching for a towel to cover himself up.

"Hiya, Vince…Uh, Yu Cloud wanted to…uh…see you." Tifa covered her eyes still, despite being on the other side of the door and facing away from the pair. She could hear Vincent grunt in response and couldn't help but smirk at that. He was never one to feel uncomfortable or 'exposed' the way Yuffie was.

"I thought the door was locked!" Yuffie nearly shrieked.

"It's my training hall! I have the damn key! You are…sweet mother of Jenova I knew I should have stayed in bed today. I'm going in to make a drink…you…want…anything?" Tifa couldn't wipe the grin off her face though her tone sounded more embarrassed than excited.

"Chocolate…hot…with whip cream on top, please." Yuffie leaned her forehead against Vincent's broad back.

"Damn that was embarrassing." Yuffie looked up to Vincent, who was watching her with a humorous glint in his eye. Chuckling herself she released him and made her way to get a towel. She made her way toward her clothes and groaned. "They're ruined…." Yuffie began to giggle at the irony of it all. "Good thing I always pack extras."

"Indeed." Vincent watched intently as Yuffie began to dress, sliding on her shorts and her shirt. He had already pulled on his pants, his shirt having been cut from his body left it too damaged to wear. She stood, collecting her bag and all her throwing stars as well as her Conformer. "I was impressed with how much you've improved." Yuffie gave him a questioning glance. "I watched while you and Cid were sparing, you've become quite a force to recon with."

"That means a lot, coming from you…thank you." Yuffie smiled sheepishly.

"Why is that? Is my opinion any better than Tifa's?" Vincent followed her at a steady pace toward the bar.

"You are…amazing. I always liked watching you fight, you're the most skilled of us all. Hearing someone with the training you have compliment me…it's just…you're different." Vincent nodded in understanding.

"I see you found Yuffie." Tifa noted as Yuffie went inside. Vincent turned toward her, his expression guarded. "No need, I promise not to physically assault you today." Vincent noticeably relaxed.

"I suppose I should thank you." He stated simply.

"Why is that?" Tifa handed over a glass of red wine.

"I would not have gone after her if it had not been for you and Cloud. I would have gone back to my life of quiet solitude." Vincent swirled the red liquid in the glass, watching as thin rivulets formed along the sides. "I did not understand my own feelings…I am still somewhat unsure…"

"Nothing is easy, Vincent. You would have gone after her once you realized you needed her. It would have been far too late for both of you at that point, but you would have done it. You just needed a shove in the right direction." Tifa smiled sweetly at him and he was surprised to see there was no malice behind her wine colored eyes, only simple joy.

"Agreed, however I believe your right hook may have helped." He gave her a wry glance. Tifa was speechless for all of five seconds before bursting into peels of laughter.

"We all love you, Vincent. I truly am sorry for hitting you, Cloud felt guilty over it the whole time you were gone. _'Do you think I hit him too hard? Should I have just let it go?' _It was quite amusing to see. He was more afraid you'd never speak to him again than anything else." Tifa smiled, sipping from her glass of water.

"I appreciate what you both did for Yuffie…and me." He bowed his head again, his emotional chaos threatening to make itself known.

As if she could read his mind, Tifa handed Vincent a large white shirt, placed a warm hand on his shoulder and whispered. "We all need help sometime, Vince. We're always here for you, no matter what happens." He sat there a moment longer, sliding the cotton shirt on, pondering what Tifa had done and how he felt toward Yuffie. He could only conclude that he was in over his head…and he didn't mind one bit.

xXxXx

_**A/N:** __So, lots o' lemony goodness in this chapter. I'm not big on angst, but that was where this thing started and I figured it was high time to return it to its roots. Let me know what you think, I'm open to any suggestions and criticism :)_

1. That meant "I can't do this with out you" or "I can't breathe without you" something like that...

2. Aishiteru - I love you/Saiai- Beloved


	8. Chapter 8

_**Note: **I don't know about this one..._

_I own nothing...nada..._

_**Momentum**_

Yuffie sighed contentedly, reveling in feeling of skin on skin as she lay perfectly still in Vincent's arms. He sat propped up against the head board, absently running his fingers through her long dark hair. Vincent glanced down at the young woman in his arms, wondering if he actually had been holding his breath all these years. Being near her was like breathing life. She hummed in response to the contact, which sent delightful vibrations through him. She let her arms lazily move around to his hips, leaving her chest completely unhindered and fully capable of sparking all sorts of desires. She gasped as his gauntlet grazed her hip, steadily moving up and over her backside, then ever so slowly trailing up along her spine toward her hair and his good hand.

"Vincent…" He gave her a subtle grunt in reply. "Don't leave." His hand froze between her shoulder blades and in her dark tresses. "Please…please don't leave again." Her voice was soft, vulnerable even. Something Vincent was more than a little uncomfortable with, coming from her.

He was silent for a long while, listening to her breathing, the steady increase in her pulse, he could even taste her own acrid fear. Did she honestly think he _could_ leave now? As if the punishment from their friends wouldn't be enough, he couldn't stomach hurting her again.

"As you wish." He responded in a solemn, serious tone. Though, there was very little Vincent did or said that was not of the utmost seriousness, this tone _demanded_ attention and was not to be questioned or doubted. He freed his hand from her hair only to wrap around her waist. The metal digits scraping enticingly along her skin as they made their way to her hip. His breath was hot against her ear as he lowered his head to kiss along the outer shell before pulling her up higher and nipping along her jaw line. "As you wish…" He whispered against her pulse point causing her to moan in earnest.

Her slender fingers found themselves gripping his hair and shoulders simultaneously as his lips danced above her heart, he secretly delighted in the light flutter of each beat. She was a delightful little thing, this woman.

He stayed that way for a long while, reveling in her innate ability to put him completely at peace. Without warning he nipped the tender skin.

"Kami-sama, Vincento! Muri jin!" Yuffie giggled as she spoke, tugging his face back up to hers.

"_Impossible?_" He lifted a brow at her, a teasing light dancing in his eyes. "I must disagree." He smirked down at her. Yuffie glared as best she could while laughing. When she didn't immediately speak, Vincent leaned forward, placing feather light kisses along her jaw and neck. "And now the ninja is silent…" His deep voice intoned. Yuffie hummed in agreement, her face resting in the crook of his neck.

"Being with you is like _nothing_ I've ever felt before…"She spoke softly.

"I assure you, little rose, the feeling is mutual." She half laughed at his response, knowing he was lifting an eyebrow at her.

"I never knew anything could feel this _good_." Yuffie ran her fingers through his silky hair, marveling at it's length.

Vincent shifted his weight to lay beside her, his lips trailing down her neck. "Of what 'things' are you speaking?" Yuffie couldn't help but sigh, chuckling softly.

"_Muri…jin_." She laughed at the playful quirk of his lips.

"Perhaps you are correct after all..." She grinned wickedly up at him, yanking him down for a rough kiss.

"I've woken the beast…" She gasped, chuckling as he groaned in agreement. She surprised herself, moaning softly as his lips trailed along the shell of her ear. "How do you do that?" She gasped again as his hands tightened around her waist and pulled her flush against his warm body. "Gods, I'm not going to sleep naked anymore…" She mewled as he his good hand began to gently massage her scalp. "It's like you know me inside and out."

There was a moment of pause before Yuffie caught up with her mouth, she at least had the decency to blush at the statement. Vincent paused for half a second as he processed her accidental play on words. He smirked at her, chuckling softly. She began to giggle, hand clasped over her mouth. He smirked, still laughing lightly as she groaned, a light blush staining her cheeks. Her began to slow her giggles as Vincent smiled gently down at her.

"Ok, not what I meant." She enjoyed the low rumble of his laughter and marveled at his easy smile.

"Hmm…" Vincent leaned down once more, this time the kiss was heated and passionate and Yuffie was left breathless beneath him. "Whatever it is you wish, you have but to ask." Yuffie smiled against his lips, sighing contentedly as he always kept his promise.

* * *

Tifa and Cloud sat alone in the bar downstairs. Cloud read through the inventory of his latest deliveries as Tifa prepared for the bar to open that afternoon. She hadn't been able to wipe the silly smile from her face since she'd seen Vincent head upstairs with Yuffie the evening prior. It was already mid-morning and they had yet to make an appearance.

"Yuffie says the trade routes for Wutai are usually o…what are you smiling about now?" Cloud glanced up as he was speaking to see Tifa staring somewhat dreamily at a dirty glass.

"Nothing." She waved him off, leaning over to see what he was talking about. He eyed her skeptically, she'd been acting strange all morning, well since Vincent had arrived.

"Yuffie said the trade routes…and there you go again. What? Is there something in my hair?" Cloud ran a hand through his hair for good measure. Tifa shook herself from her thoughts, apparently she'd been zoning out again. She felt a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"Come on! They've been at it for the better part of the _day_ Cloud. It's…it's a relief! Finally something ended the way it was meant to for them." She sighed, Cloud grimaced. "I'm so happy for her." She gushed.

"Maybe you should call Shera or Elmyra…I'm utterly useless in this discussion." He said with a smile.

Tifa sighed dramatically, smiling at him. "Fine, what do you need?" Cloud eyed her warily again.

"You sure you're ok? I'm going to say 'Yuffie' a few times, mention a thing or two about guns and gunpowder, and Vincent's name may be dropped in there a time or two." Tifa scowled playfully at him.

"My brain isn't putty, _dear._" She swatted at him with the towel she'd had in her hand.

"Coulda fooled me." He smirked back at her.

"You're lucky I like you at all.." She joked, tugging the paper work from his hand so she could read over it while he spoke.

He went on to relay the information Yuffie had given him regarding trade routes in and out of Wutai and the regulations on weapons, explained that Vincent would be assisting him with a few deliveries. This was his largest delivery to date, a man in Wutai had ordered a replica of every one of the weapons the members of AVALANCHE had used. The items were to be part of a memorial dedicated to Aerith and the hero's of the planet.

He also told her Yuffie would like to stick around for a little while longer to work at the bar with Tifa. Tifa was thrilled to have Yuffie back in full service, as her ability to bring in droves of customers never ceased to amaze her. She was glad to see Vincent would be sticking around and helping out, she knew Cloud had sorely missed his company despite his quiet nature. Or maybe that was exactly what he liked about him.

Tifa felt her heart swell at the thought of the bar being full again. Vincent was home, Yuffie had her spark, and Tifa had her mismatched family back again.

"It's nice, you know?" Tifa leaned against the counter on her elbows, twirling a particularly long lock of hair absently.

"Hm? What's that?" Cloud neatly stacked his paperwork and placed it back in its folder before looking up at Tifa.

"Alone, we're all broken, but together we make a whole something." She shook her head with a smile, dismissing the passing thought with a wave of her hand. "It's…nothing, never mind."

Cloud smiled gently, reaching out to brush his knuckles against her cheek. "_I _would be nothing if it wasn't for you." He whispered, leaning toward her.

"Ew…do you guys ever quit being so freakishly cute?" Yuffie made a look of disgust, running a hand through her recently washed hair as she and Vincent made their way down to the pair.

"Excuse me miss 'I'll be up early'. Is this too much for your young eyes?" Tifa winked at Cloud, kissing him on the cheek as he walked by. "I've been down here for what…three hours? Did we decide it was three?"

"Three hours and forty seven minutes." Cloud deadpanned, tucking his paper work in a drawer beneath the register. "You owe me twenty gil, kid." He held his hand out expectantly to Yuffie.

"Well," She shrugged amiably as she handed over the gil. "It's a bet I don't mind losing."

"This time." Cloud smirked at her as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"You bet on me?" Vincent looked shocked, if that was possible.

"Yep, you just made bird brain over there a rich man." Yuffie nudged him playfully. "Oh, come on…don't act like you weren't a willing participant there sport." Vincent glanced down at Yuffie with a raised eyebrow. "Pfft, whatever." She pranced her way over to Tifa, checking glasses and various bottles of liquor. Vincent followed Cloud into the other room.

"I'm glad _you _finally came down…Tifa's been all moony-eyed at the glasses and sighing every few minutes." Vincent smirked at the look of displeasure, heading to the kitchen for a cup of coffee and to go over the details of Cloud's upcoming delivery.

* * *

At five o'clock on the dot 'Seventh Heaven' opened its doors, Yuffie dolled out drinks alongside Tifa while Cloud and Vincent took a seat in a booth near the back of the bar, casually keeping an eye on the two women as they worked.

Several times Yuffie had a stranger grab for her, and succeed only once. Vincent had shown him the door, and a good portion of his boot. Tifa batted off a ridiculously drunk older man, stopped two couples from 'christening' her restroom, dropped one bottle of cheap tequilla, and slapped a woman (or maybe it was a man dressed as a woman, either way _it_ was ugly and obnoxiously drunk). All in all, just another night at the bar.

Vincent and Cloud busied themselves with various tasks, many of which included one or the other escorting an over-enthusiastic drunkard from the bar. "An everyday occurrence" Cloud had mentioned to Vincent as the third guy was taken out to the waiting chocobo drawn cart.

Around ten Yuffie helped a handsome young man and his girlfriend, who was celebrating her twenty first birthday, to a cab. She paid the fair, "Consider it a birthday present, and a thank you for not trying to drive yourself." She winked and waved goodbye. She turned to catch Vincent looking rather displeased with something. Cocking an eyebrow she shrugged as she mouthed the word 'what'. His eyes flicked to something just behind her. She knew what he was looking at almost before she turned around, she could _smell_ his cheap cologne and whatever liquor he'd been drinking from here.

"Heya, babe. Didn't know you were workin' back at the bar." Reno gave her a smile that made her feel dirty all over again, his words slurred.

Yuffie's steely gaze hardened on the red head before turning on her heel and marching back into the bar. Tifa had two rules by which she governed her bar.

1. Have a real ID, she dearly loved her bar and would not be ruined by some punk kid trying to pull a fast one. Gil wasn't all that important, those that had tabs almost always paid them off by the end of the month. Besides, she wasn't exactly hurting for the extra money.

2. Reno stays away from Yuffie at all times, no touching, talking, and/or eye contact. He was a paying customer and as such she'd take his gil. However, she'd seen him with countless women and Yuffie had been just another conquest in his ultimate scheme of 'laying every broad in Edge'. This upset Tifa, and everyone knew…you do not upset a bar tender/owner who has been doused in copious amounts of mako, defeated a crazed madman hell bent on the destruction of the planet (who was also the most decorated General in the history of Shinra's military, part alien…and did we mention crazy?) and especially not one who can, even on a bad day, hit hard enough to turn bones to pudding.

Well Reno, it seemed, was either not privy to the secret 'Two Rule' code of 'Seventh Heaven', or he was a man with a death wish.

Tifa watched, half in shock at the Turk's blatant disregard for her simple demands. Reno caught up to her in the middle of a throng of bar goers Yuffie was now struggling to get through. She felt his cool fingers wrap in a vice like grip around her wrist. She yanked once, only serving to pull him closer to her person, which she immediately stepped away from.

"What the hell are you doing, asshole?!" She gave him a challenging glare.

"Setting the record straight." He shot back, pulling her roughly into his arms. She struggled valiantly, though with all the people around she was a little leery of causing a scene and stilled quickly. She glared viciously up at him, wishing she could simply light him on fire with just her eyes. That had been a mistake.

The next three minutes were a blur. His lips were on hers, she was gagging on the stench of alcohol wafting off of him, clawing at his shoulders, and then there was the sound of metal clinking on metal. Reno managed to twist Yuffie between himself and business end of 'Death Penalty', smirking defiantly as the gunslingers scarlet eyes darkened with rage.

"Sorry, Valentine…_this _belong to you?" He gave him a lecherous grin as he roughly gripped Yuffie by the chin.

"Let me go you fu-" Reno squeezed, earning a muffled howl of pain from Yuffie, who again struggled briefly.

The rest of the bar-goers had literally split like the Red Sea as the struggle broke out. A few regulars stepping up to intervene, the red head wasn't armed after all. Cloud, realizing none of them noticed Reno as Turk, quickly put himself between them and the soon to be dismembered Turk.

"Release her and I'll consider letting you crawl back to Tseng…" Vincent's voice was cold, deadly. Yuffie felt a chill run through her, realizing with a start that she'd never seen him truly livid. She was also still staring down the barrel of his favored weapon.

"That's cute, Vince…" He yanked Yuffie's face to one side so she' have to look up at him. "He's threatening to kill a Turk," He turned to Vincent again. "A Turk in the service of President Rufus Shinra, no less…tsk tsk." Reno kept his eyes trained on Vincent, not the little Wutaian moving about in his grasp, and certainly not the rapidly approaching footsteps.

Reno, as previously stated, had not read the rules of survival for 'Seventh Heaven', and was not expecting a foot to lodge itself in his side with such intensity it was unlikely either his kidney or ribs would be the same after tonight. His knees hit the ground at about the same time he felt a smaller, feminine hand grab him fully by the face and with a mighty heave throw him through the door, outside the bar, and into the side of a beat up old truck.

It didn't take him long to pull himself to his feet and dodge the pool cue she'd sent hurtling his way, and subsequently impaling the truck behind him. His green eyes were murderous, and for a brief moment Tifa felt panic twist through her. He charged forward, faster than she'd thought possible. She was about to leap back when she heard Yuffie shout behind her.

"Show him how we do, Tif!" The bar cheered behind her. She dropped low, springing forward with the momentum of a freight train. Reno blinked, her fist made contact with his solar plexus, thus relieving him of all the air in his lungs, and again knocked him back into the skewered truck…narrowly missing the cue turned spear. He gasped for air, vomiting violently in the process. Tifa was about to deal yet another devastating blow when a hand caught her wrist. She jerked free and spun around.

"Rude? What the hell-?" She had every intention of ignoring his presence and returning to the task at hand when he forcibly moved her away from his near unconscious partner.

"That's enough, Miss Lockhart." She glared, staying her fist. Yuffie glowered at Rude.

"You son of a bitch, he deserves this!" She screeched, angry tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know." Rude turned around, ignoring the young woman cursing him in her native language. Reno groaned, his mind reeling from both the alcohol and Tifa's fists. He wasn't sure how, but he was now heading down the empty streets of Edge toward the Shinra building. "You're lucky." Rude spoke softly, an undeniable bitter edge in his voice.

Reno glared up at him, wiping his chin of any excess bile. "Bitch." Reno glared back in the direction of the bar. "Shouldn'ta interve...gotten in da way, I coulda handled the stupid beer wench." Reno slurred horribly, likely due to the combined strength of whatever he'd been drinking and the beating Tifa had gleefully doled out.

Rude sent him a reproachful stare, shaking his head. "Have it your way." With a growl Rude let Reno fall in an gracelessly to the street.

"What the fuck, man?!" He growled, struggling again to his feet, surprised by the intense pain shooting through his side, nearly crippling him.

"You said it yourself, you're a Turk in the service of President Shinra…that little stunt you pulled back there, that may have just cost you more than a suspension. You're drunk, you assaulted _two_ women, and you violated _our_ code of ethics!" Rude rarely had cause to shout or otherwise raise his voice. This was just such an occasion. Rude tore his sunglasses from his face, eyes boring into the red head, radiating disappointment and fury. "You are an _idiot_! You make all of us look bad, your thoughtless actions have-You just don't- FUCK! You _fucking_ selfish _**bastard**_!" Rude had broken his sunglasses at some point, his eyes were alight with an anger Reno hadn't seen since his early Turk years. Reno flinched as the bigger man thrust a hand down, lifting him with disturbing ease.

Reno opted to stay silent the rest of the way back to Tseng's office...and the President. He had a sinking feeling the beatings weren't over for the night. If he'd been sober, if he'd given himself a chance to think about what he was about to do…if he'd been given a little forewarning that the beautiful Wutaian would be back at the bar, smiling and laughing no less. Tifa may have thought him heartless and shallow, she didn't know what Yuffie had meant to him. He'd never wanted something so much, except maybe alcohol…which was another problem of his. He drank too much, Tseng told him, Elena and Rude…even _Tifa_ the damned bartender told him he drank too much. Yuffie never complained…though he suspected she was only marginally aware of his existence at any given moment. She'd agreed to a date, actually she just hadn't said no.

Reno laughed and Rude cast him an angry, confused glare.

XxFlash backxX

"Hey, beautiful…dinner tonight?" Reno smirked that cocky smirk that made Yuffie want to punch the nearest baby, well maybe it wasn't that bad but she did throw up a little in her mouth.

"What?" She saw his smile falter at the incredulous tone, she smirked on the inside.

"Uh, would you like to go to dinner with me…tonight?" He rubbed the back of his head nervously. Yuffie took another drink of some amber liquid, sighing softly.

"Yeah, whatever…when?" She went back to wiping down the counters and arranging glasses.

"Seven!" He'd said it a little too enthusiastically.

"I'm not screwing you." She said it with as little emotion as humanly possible, in fact it reminded him of Vincent. He took a good look at her for a moment, her grey eyes were ashen and hollow. Her smile was faded to the point of looking like a grimace, then again she rarely smiled for Reno. She looked empty…

"That's fine, I don't think 'Crimson' allows for that sort of thing anyway." He smirked again, this time she felt like he'd just stabbed her, kicked her, crushed all her materia…it was a terrible feeling and in her shock she nodded, not knowing what she'd nodded for or at.

"See you at seven then, Reno." His smile finally fell, his lips only quirked slightly and he decided he'd just leave and hope she didn't cancel on him.

She didn't, in fact she dressed up for it…'Crimson' _was_ a five star restaurant after all, classy and all that. Not really Reno's style, but to see her in that beautiful crimson red dress was worth it.

"It's Tifa's. She said I'd need something nice…" Yuffie actually smiled, only a little whisp of a smile, but Reno felt delighted he'd been given even that much.

"You look beautiful, Yuffie." It was the first time in a long time he'd used her actual name, instead of whatever pet name he'd come up with at the time. She found it wasn't really that bad.

One dinner turned into once weekly dinner, which in turn progressed to daily visits to the bar, and even further to her kissing him goodnight. Tifa didn't like it, she knew Reno all too well and he was always…_always_ up to something. This went on for nearly three months and Yuffie refused his more intimate advances. She blatantly refused to sleep with him, she wasn't ready for that.

Tifa had heard them talking, she was sitting beside him out back on the bench and laughing at something he'd said. His arm was around her shoulders, no groping or even a lecherous grin. He was smiling just as much beside her. Tifa shook her head, _'It's _Reno_ not some guy trying to make her feel better.'_

Yuffie said he made her feel special, wonderful, he even made her happy again…but he was frustrated with her not wanting to get physical yet. Three and a half months, he should get more than a kiss.

That was shortly before Tifa found him the first time, Yuffie held fast against the wall and Reno feeling her up. She looked shocked, tears trailing down her cheeks. She blushed when she saw Tifa and Tifa nearly broke Reno's jaw. Thus came the second rule of 'Seventh Heaven'.

Two weeks and one very confused and upset ninja later Reno came back, this time it hadn't been Tifa who stopped him, and he suddenly realized why she would never give him that last bit of herself…she was in love with a demon possessed gunman.

XxEndxX

"That girl _was_ special…" Reno slurred.

"You sure made her feel that way." Tseng's voice jolted him out of his stupor.

"Wh-" Reno sputtered and stopped when Tseng held up a hand. Reno glanced around in utter shock. _'When the hell did I get here?!' _He was insides Tseng's office inside the Shinra building...and Tseng looked down right demonic.

"You're lucky Miss Lockhart has only requested you not be aloud within 100 feet of 'Seventh Heaven'. Yuffie is filing for a restraining order…what in Gaia's name could you have _possibly_ been thinking, Reno?" Tseng looked genuinely concerned.

"I just…I wanted…" He wanted her, he'd let his control slip and acted on impulse. "I didn't think." Reno hung his head in shame.

"You do this again and I'll find you a job that involves you picking up shit with your hands…get out of my sight." Tseng's voice was cold. "You're confined to quarters until further notice." He shouted as an afterthought. Rude gripped Reno's arm roughly. Reno's eyes shot to his friends in shock.

"Move." Rude shoved him forward. Reno didn't speak until he reached his new 'cell'. He slumped against the door as Rude slammed it shut and locked it. At least he was only confined to his room...better there than an actual cell. He had running water and blankets here. With another sigh, Reno drug himself toward the bathroom and popped a few pain killers, then with heavy steps made for his bed to sleep and contimplate what to do next.

Reno would have a whole lot of ass kissing to do once Rufus found out…

* * *

"Yuffie?" Tifa made her way outside to the distraught girl. "You okay?"

"Fine." She whispered back, her voice hoarse.

"Where's Vincent?" Tifa glanced around.

"Gone…again." Yuffie didn't appear to be upset. She looked frightened. "He's going to hurt Reno, Tifa." Her voice broke, the thought of Vincent hurting someone made the girl more than a little uneasy…even if it was Reno.

Tifa knew better than anyone, 'hurt' was not something Vincent did. He was either brooding, sullen, and soft spoken…or he was vicious, murderous, and more than a little psychotic.

"Shit…" Tifa raced back inside and dialed Tseng again, there was no answer this time and she left a hasty voicemail. "CLOUD!"

"He ran after Vincent!" Barrett shouted, ruffling Marlene's hair playfully in an attempt to keep her from worrying about her family.

"Shit shit…Yuffie and I are going after him too, shut the bar down and lock up." Tifa didn't wait for a response. She bolted back out the door, grabbing Yuffie and dragging her to the truck they'd used to pick Barrett up in. She sped toward the new Shinra building, hoping they could make it to Reno and stop Vincent in time…

_

* * *

_

_A/N: Random plot…I typed and this just sort of spewed itself out. I know it's a little weird but I felt like trying to figure out what Reno and Yuffie had, if I'd make it into something or not…don't worry, she's not about to run off and make it with the Turkey. _

_R&R please…whatever, anything is always welcome. (Thank you Star Anise!)_

_Muri jin or muri no jin...which ever it's supposed to be means "Impossible man". I thought it was rather fitting._


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: **I hate getting stuck on a chapter. The last one didn't end the way I wanted it to, this one wont start the way I wanted it to… I hope it's not too bad...please don't mind grammar errors, microsoft word has been freaking out on me lately....stupid program! _

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Yuffie and Tifa had walked into a scene that, had it not been for the fact that everyone was dead set on hurting one another, would have been comical. Vincent had his gauntlet wrapped around Reno's neck while Reno had his super charged baton against Cloud's neck, ready to electrocute the blond if Vincent didn't release him. Rude had his gun drawn, though not pointed at anyone person directly, and Yuffie suddenly found herself in a rather precarious position with Tifa simply staring in shock and awe.

If there was one redeemable quality about the current situation Yuffie found herself in, it was that she herself had not been struck by a stray bullet or a metal gauntlet, which at the moment was attached to an incredibly irate gunman. She'd never seen him this mad before, and despite what Tifa had said in the car she did _**not **_find it in any way, shape, or form _'cute'_ or _'endearing'_. He was just as possessive as any man she'd met who hadn't been physically tampered with. It frightened her to see him staring with such anger and hatred burning behind his garnet eyes. She reasoned he was more than likely too furious at this point to see anything but red, and by red she knew it was the red headed, insolent man behind her. Of all the strange situations she'd found herself in the last several years, her putting her body between two Turk's wasn't even in the top 100. She could honestly say she never saw this one coming, her standing in Reno's apartment with Vincent ready to put that gauntlet of his to good use, and her standing in the middle. Not the safest thing she'd come up with, but so far it seemed to be working as she desperately tried to talk Vincent down.

"Vincent…he's not worth a felony charge. You kill him and you'll wind up spending the rest of your freakishly long life alone." Vincent released him, though he drew Cerberus and shoved the barrel against his head. Yuffie attempted to move forward toward him while Tifa and Cloud dove in behind her and drug Reno back to what they considered safety.

Vincent's piercing gaze cut right through her once it locked onto her. He was angry with her for moving his target, angry she got in the way, he probably thought in some way that her protecting him meant she still had feelings for him.

"Why are you not angry with him?" Vincent watched her a moment, the curious expression he wore was nearly enough to make Yuffie laugh.

"I _am_ angry, you fool! Don't you see that? Weren't you there at the bar when he _accosted_ me? I'm fuckin' ready to tear him to pieces! But I will _not_ murder him." She bit out angrily.

Vincent shifted, lowering his weapon suddenly. He turned just as quickly and left through the same window he'd broken into Reno's apartment with much less flourish than his entry. Rude, Cloud, and Tifa exchanged confused glances before all three stood and followed Yuffie to the window. She was out in a flash and chasing him up the side of the building.

He leapt from rooftop to rooftop in an effort to escape his tumultuous rage. If he could just run a little farther, a little faster…

"Vincent, _please_ stop…" Yuffie struggled to catch her breath. "I know you're angry, but this isn't going to-"

"I need you to understand." He stopped and turned so suddenly she nearly collided with him.

"Wha-understand? What do you mean? Why in Leviathan's great name do _I_ have to understand?! You tried to murder a guy for touching me." She cocked her head to one side curiously, still panting.

"I need to you to understand how…_hard_ it is…" He glanced down at her, his crimson eyes held a certain misery she hadn't seen in many years. She wished then that she didn't actually have any insight into what, exactly, he was talking about. "I watched him kill her, I was powerless…and now, now with such strength and speed. Even now I-" Yuffie closed the distance between them, her eyes never leaving his.

"This is not that time, I am not that woman…you are a different man now, Vincent. Violence now is irrelevant, it is over and no one was hurt. Isn't that victory enough?" She smiled brightly up at him, and what was once a tortured visage of pain and weakness was now the very picture of strength and courage he needed. "You need to keep your claw to yourself. I can handle Reno, really." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Vincent bowed his head, closing his eyes for a moment. He collected his thoughts and feelings quickly before lifting his head and his gaze back to meet hers. "Thank you." His voice intoned gently. Yuffie gave a slight nod of acknowledgement in return.

"Let's go." He followed her wordlessly through the night back to 7th Heaven. All the while tossing her words around. She knew him better, he realized with a bit of a start and a stumble, than he knew himself. Yuffie glanced back at him with a hint of amusement, though kept her forward momentum going.

* * *

For two weeks Vincent and Yuffie called the bar home. Yuffie helped out with the bartending and cooking while Vincent helped Cloud with his deliveries. It was nice for Tifa, she enjoyed having her friends so close. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed Yuffie's laugh until she'd gone without it for so long, now it was as though she'd never left. Vincent had begun to let down his barriers. It started with the hint of a smile and a look he'd cast Yuffie's way. She claimed he even laughed at her jokes. Tifa couldn't stop smiling, everything was going so well. Cid threatened to visit in a week, Barrett was stopping by in a day or two, and then there was Nanaki, who was always near Yuffie. They were like two peas in a pod, he always had a sixth sense about her, was always around when she needed him to be. Not to mention he was enjoyable conversation for Vincent when Yuffie was busy with Tifa or off and about.

"I am pleased with the way things have turned out." Nanaki's voice startled Yuffie out of her daydreaming. She glanced back at him from the window by her bed. Vincent lay asleep beside her. She smiled wistfully at her friend, patting the space beside her.

"Me too, Nanaki. Thank you for seeing me through this…" He carefully settled himself at Vincent's feet, which earned him Yuffie's affectionate petting. "I never saw this for myself, but I'm glad…"

"As am I." He gave her a feline smirk. "It has not been the easiest conquest. However, you have persevered and I firmly believe you both are better for it." Yuffie smiled, resting her forehead against his.

"You are the best friend I could have ever asked for." She whispered. She lifted her head, turning in time to catch the sun rising over the hills. She smiled as she felt Vincent's warm hand wrap around her midsection. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Vincent regarded the sunrise a moment longer before nodding silently, placing a gentle kiss against her shoulder. "Indeed."

"Good morning, Vincent." Nanaki inclined his head in greeting. Vincent nodded, rubbing the fire cat's head gently.

Yuffie turned when she heard what sounded like a herd of chocobo running down the hall. As she expected, her door flew open and Marlene stood their with Denzel.

"Mornin' Yuffie and Vincent!" She announced happily. Nanaki lifted his head with huff of mock frustration. "Hi Nanaki!" She bounced excitedly.

"Well you just gonna stand there or are you two going to give us a hug?" Yuffie waved them over. "So, this must mean Barrett's here then, huh?" Denzel gave her a hug and shook Vincent's hand before he and Marlene pounced on Nanaki.

"Yup, he and Uncle Cid and Aunt Shera are down stairs talking to Cloud and Tifa." Marlene giggled as Nanaki swatted playfully at both kids. Yuffie turned to Vincent and motioned toward the shower. With a nod they both stood.

"Ok, guys. You're gonna have to take that downstairs. We're going to get ready and we'll be down in a minute." Yuffie ruffled Nanaki's hair. He eased himself off the bed and trotted out toward the living room, Marlene and Denzel hot on his heels. Yuffie closed the door with a laugh. "It's nice to have family around again, ya know?" She turned to see Vincent leaning against the door frame of the bathroom in nothing but the pants he wore to bed. She felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks at the sight of him.

"Yes, it is." He answered simply, half smiling at her. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest, savoring the simple feeling of skin against skin. Vincent felt a slight smirk lifting his lips at the sight of her. She was of course the more affectionate of the two, though that didn't seem to deter her even in the slightest.

"I love you, Vincent." She whispered.

"I know." She frowned and swatted at him. "Jerk." She frowned, not missing the amused glint in his eye.

"The feeling is mutual, Yuffie Kisaragi. You have taken three words and put all the weight of the world on them…surely by now you've established that I do indeed feel the same."

"You don't know what it feels like, hearing it from you." She shrugged with a forced pout.

He captured her chin in his good hand, committing her face to memory, memorizing the way the her eyes glittered like molten silver, the way her mouth opened in anticipation. "I love you." He whispered so softly she was sure she'd imagined it. She smiled at him, a blush staining her cheeks as she turned and made her way to the bathroom.

They showered quickly, finding it surprisingly helpful to shower together. He'd wash her back, she'd wash his hair. She caught herself staring a few times, blushing when he noticed.

Yuffie came down the stairs first and made her way to Shera wrapping the woman in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you finally came to visit!" She announced excitedly. "I have so much to tell you…" She whispered conspiratorially causing Shera to laugh. Yuffie turned then and gave Cid a hug, stealing his cigarettes in the process.

"Give them back." Tifa smirked at Yuffie, earning a chuckle and a roguish grin from the ninja.

"What? I haven't the foggiest idea as to what you are referring to, Teef?" Yuffie put up a fairly decent innocent façade and if Tifa hadn't known Yuffie she would have bought it.

"He's liable to kill someone if he doesn't get his hourly dose of nicotine. I'd like this to be a happy reunion, not a reenactment of Friday the 13th…now give 'em back." Yuffie huffed muttering something about Tifa being no fun and tossed the pack at Shera.

"Damnit Yuffie!" Cid began to pat himself down for anything else that might have been missing.

"Relax, grandpa, you don't have anything worthwhile to boost…" Yuffie called over her shoulder as she made her way to the living room to get the kids and Nanaki.

"Damn brat…" He grumbled with a smirk, waving the half smoked pack away as Shera tried to hand it to him. She smiled down at him, kissing him gently on the cheek.

"You two are just too adorable…well, Shera is, you're just old." Yuffie said with a laugh as she accepted a cup of coffee from Tifa. Tifa swatted her playfully, placing cups of hot chocolate and a bowl of warm milk out for the kids and Nanaki.

"You truly are a brat." Tifa ushered her out of the kitchen.

Yuffie took her coffee and made her way outside to the pen where the chocobo's were kept. They let out several delighted warks as she neared each stall, pouring a measure of grain for each of them, making sure to rub each one and say 'good morning'.

"You certainly do have a way with them." She turned to see Elena standing in the doorway, dressed in her usual suit and sunglasses.

"Is it mandatory for you guys to dress like that? You look silly…" Yuffie gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It couldn't be good news if they sent Elena.

"I always thought Vincent had more restraint than that." When Yuffie didn't react, she continued with a heavy sigh. "Look, we can't hold Reno forever." Elena tentatively put her hand on one of the yellow birds foreheads, earning what sounded like a happy whistle.

"Well he had a rough week…Reno isn't my problem anymore, Elena." She shrugged, rubbing a particularly large black chocobo's neck while he ate.

"That's why I'm here." Elena took the sunglasses off and tucked them neatly into a pocket. "I'm not here to give you some sort of guilt trip, I was sent to make sure that whatever the problem was, it is resolved now. I know he's a far cry from a 'good man' but we all have a job to do and the sooner you two get over this the sooner we can get back to it." She finished with a huff. "I just don't want there to be a problem later, ok?" Yuffie nodded quietly. Elena left without another word, leaving Yuffie to her birds.

She made her way in thirty minutes later. Vincent sat in his favorite spot in the corner of the living room reading again. She smiled his way, to which he gently inclined his head in acknowledgement. She rounded the corner to the kitchen and dinning, she could make out Tifa's voice, and she sounded less than pleased. As she neared the kitchen she saw why.

"Look, Reeve…she can't work with him yet. I know this is serious, but that doesn't mean we have to go traipsing around with the Turk's. Send two separate teams." Tifa argued with a hand on her hip, it was her trademark 'I'm not taking no for an answer' move.

"I realize that, Tifa. I do. However, this requires immediate attention. You are all needed for this to go smoothly." He rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation.

"What's going on?" Yuffie asked, her eyes bright and curious.

"There's been a leak in the Mako Reactor 7 on Mt. Nibel. I guess the leak contaminated some of the local wildlife, namely a massive behemoth that attacked Nibelheim the other night and was last reported seen heading to Rocket Town." Reeve spoke solemnly.

"So let's go kick it's ass back to the life stream…" Yuffie answered with her usual flair. "Wait, isn't that reactor closed or blown up or something?"

"They rebuilt it two years ago." Tifa answered offhandedly.

"Oh, well whatever. Let's go." Yuffie shrugged, indifferent to the argument Reeve and Tifa were having. "What?!" She stared them both down, hands on her hips.

"The Turk's are going with us." Tifa answered.

"Oh…so Reno would…be…ah, I get ya." Yuffie couldn't help but chuckle. "That explains Elena."

"Huh? How does that explain Elena?" Tifa eyed Reeve suspiciously.

"She came to make sure whatever happened is over now and that 'we have a job to do and the sooner you two blah blah blah…' I should admit I wasn't really listening." Yuffie smirked. "So he'll be there, I'm a big girl and he knows well enough not to mess with me anymore."

"So you're ok with this?" Reeve asked, adjusting his glasses and giving Tifa a winning smirk.

"Do I have a choice? I mean, if I don't like it you'll just leave me here alone." She replied.

"Ok then, we'll be ready to leave tomorrow." Tifa sighed with a shake of her head. "C'mon Yu, we've got work to do." She tugged Yuffie back toward the living room where Vincent sat quietly, his enhanced hearing making it easy for him to pick up the entire conversation as if he'd been standing right there. "Reeve, I believe you can find the door." Tifa gave him a hard glare.

"I'm sorry, Tifa. It's their job, too." When she didn't answer him he let out a frustrated huff and turned to leave.

In the living room Vincent and Tifa stared Yuffie down. "You're _sure_ this is ok with you?"

"Yeah, why not? He's not going to mess with me again after this last time." She glanced at Vincent. "And he certainly wouldn't do anything while on duty or whatever, not with everyone else watching him."

"Then we will assist Reeve." Vincent answered for Tifa.

"Ok, I guess we will. Cid and Shera have already started preparations on the airship, Barrett is taking Marlene and Denzel to Elmyra's. We could leave within the hour." Tifa cast one last wayward glance at Yuffie before running upstairs to get their reserve of materia.

"You're certain this is alright with you?" Vincent asked softly.

"Yeah…yeah, I'll be ok. Besides, we have to save Rocket Town from certain doom. No time to worry about petty personal crap now, huh?" She winked with a smile. Vincent nodded, his lips turning up into a barely there smile.

"Hey! Y'all fuckin' ready to go or what?!" Cid shouted from the door, the dull roar of the airship sending an excited chill through Yuffie.

"Let's go!" She shouted up the stairs to Tifa, who tossed a large metal case down at Yuffie. She caught it with ease, thankful it was full of materia and not armor or bricks, which would have most certainly crushed her.

"Ready when you are captain." Tifa grinned, following Yuffie and Vincent up the ramp toward Barrett, Nanaki and Cait Sith, and Reeve. The roar of Fenrir caught her attention as Cloud angled the black motorcycle into the cargo hold along with several chocobo's being led by Shera. "The kids are ok?"

"Yep, Myra's glad to have them." Barrett smiled at Tifa.

"Everyone is on board." Nanaki announced quietly as Cloud and Shera made their way to the upper deck.

"Then let's get the hell outta here!" Cid shouted around his cigarette. The crew jumped into action instantly as the airship lifted off and sped toward Rocket Town. Cloud sat next to Yuffie and Tifa while Vincent spoke to Reeve. Nanaki and Cait Sith sat together at Yuffie's feet, resting for the time being. Yuffie was watching the ground fly by when she caught site of the first helicopter.

"I see Elena and Tseng!" She shouted as she waved to the blond Turk. The Second helicopter came up to the other side of the airship.

"There's Reno and Rude." Cloud noted quietly.

"And there's our baddie." Yuffie pointed down to the massive malformed beast. It looked like something out of a zombie movie Yuffie had seen. His skin was pale and mottled. One eye bulged, reminding her of a dead guppy, and it looked like it was currently trying to tear through it's own head.

"The mako is killing it." Reeve spoke softly.

"Looks painful…poor animal." Yuffie sighed, feeling a small amount of sympathy for the massive creature. "Well, lets get down there and put it out of its misery."

Cid began his decent, the two helicopters coming in right behind him. Tifa felt her stomach churn, feeling horribly uneasy. With a sigh she followed everyone to the hold, preparing to land. "Something's not right…" She whispered to herself. Vincent following close behind.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Ok, another chapter, there will be one more and then I think I can officially call this fic 'complete'. Sorry it took so long, and that this chapter is so completely random toward the end. I've been stuck for so long I forgot what had me stuck. Hope everyone enjoys this!! Any criticism is helpful :D _


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I think I've finally got this where I want it, and then I realize it's still stupid…. On a less interesting side note, my PS2 has finally decided to kick the bucket…too bad, I really wanted to play FFXII again. Figures. Anyhow, thank you for your continued support and help with this story. I've had a lot of fun writing it. One more chapter, I suppose. I think I've been dragging this thing out too long._

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As the airship settled the churning in Tifa's stomach seemed to increase tenfold. Vincent cast a glance her way, she shook her head and he continued on his way, leaving her alone on the ship with the crew.

She frowned, the feeling fading as she took a few deep breaths.

"Teef? You gonna come fight or sit in here doing Lamaze?" Yuffie quickly stifled her laughter at the pale shade Tifa had turned. She rushed to her side. "You ok? You're pale…and your skin is all clammy…" Yuffie drew her hands back quickly from Tifa's shoulders.

"Something…something is wrong." She shook her head, the fear that had gripped her so suddenly now gone.

"Um…you got a bun in the oven?" If there was one…or many things…that Yuffie lacked, the most important would have to be tact.

"Oh, come on Yuffie! I'm serious…I'm not sick I'm just sure something's wrong…very, very wrong!" She hissed. Yuffie had the grace to look sheepishly at her feet. "Never mind, lets just get out there…" Tifa stood suddenly, dragging Yuffie out behind her, nearly tripping over the Conformer on the way down the ramp.

"Took ya long enough…what, had to powder yer fuckin' nose er what?" Cid glowered at the two of them as Tseng prepared to give them a rundown of what was going to happen. Yuffie caught Reno staring intently at the ground, careful not to look at anyone specific, and for an instant she felt a pang of pity for him.

"Nothing, it's fine Cid. Sorry we made you wait." Tifa coughed to try and loosen the lump in her throat.

"The mako has corrupted the creatures organs. From the samples we collected in Nibelheim it appears as though the creature has developed a sort of…tolerance, if it could be called that, to the mako. While many essential organs are in the process of shutting down it seems the heart, lungs, and brain are all functioning as efficiently as ever. Behemoths are incredibly strong and tenacious when it comes to their survival. Having no natural predators, they have no fear. We were lucky in Nibelheim, Rocket Town may not be so lucky…" Tseng rattled off what statistics they had on it. Yuffie listened intently beside Tifa, nodding when appropriate.

Tifa watched the thing, a good ways off, as it lazily drug one massive paw across its face. Blood and saliva drizzling slowly from the open wounds, the very skin tearing like tissue paper. She choked back the urge to vomit as its unfocused eye traveled toward her. She felt a wave of sympathy, sorry that the carelessness of others had led to this.

"How big _was_ this leak, Reeve?" He looked up, startled.

"It was just the facility, maybe a one mile radius…not very big at all. The good news is that just because it's saturated in Mako doesn't mean it's spreading the radiation or any toxins." Tifa nodded, still feeling ill at ease.

Yuffie opened her mouth to say something and stopped short. She felt it before she heard it, the slight vibration of the earth sent a shock through her body and she felt the first wave of panic set in. She looked up in time to see the behemoth bearing down on them at incredible speed.

"MOVE!" She screamed. The behemoth was on them like an avalanche of rotting flesh before she'd had time to catch her breath. Reno dove for her and hitting Vincent with all his weight, narrowly missing the beasts tail as it swept wide and slammed into one of the helicopters. Reno leapt to his feet, his baton ready, and charged with Elena and Rude toward the monster. Elena and Rude both landing several shots in its left haunch, slowing it down a good deal and offsetting its balance.

Yuffie scrambled to her feet beside Vincent, winding Conformer up and letting it fly before she ran toward it. It screamed in pain and rage as the massive shuriken sliced through it's right side.

Cloud helped Tifa and Barrett up, Cid was already on his way toward the beast with Nanaki and Cait at his side. Reeve produced a pair of goggles and gloves that appeared to allow him to operate Cait Sith from a distance.

"Its body is poisoned more than they thought…it's like the experiments in SOLDIER, they tested animals...most died, some became these invulnerable monsters." Cloud noted, adjusting his swords. Tifa watched with the slightest bit of sorrow as Vincent fired a volley in succession with Elena, Tseng, and Barrett that brought the beast down heavily on its left side.

"What does that mean, _exactly_?" She frowned at her own scathing tone, looking away. "I'm sorry."

"No need." He answered mildly, watching her intently. "This thing _is_ dying, we need to put it out of it's misery. It's faster and stronger, but its body can't withstand the effects of Mako." Another silent nod.

"This never would have happened if those people had learned from their mistakes." She met his ice blue eyes, anger and hurt burning through her own. "Nibelheim can't withstand anymore attacks like that. By Ifrit's fire, of all places to take up the Mako torch again…what were they thinking?"

Cloud shook his head, not knowing what else to say. "C'mon. They need our help…" He strode purposefully toward the airship as Tifa took off at a brisk jog after the behemoth and the swarm of people driving it back.

Just beyond where they landed was a small crater, where they planed to dispose of the creatures body. Barrett and Vincent took point, driving the animal back. Yuffie, Reno, and Cid were in close, trying to lure it back toward the massive hole. Elena, Rude, and Tseng were flanking from the left, its most wounded side, while Nanaki and Cait Sith focused on the right.

As Tifa watched she felt something twist her gut, something was about to go terribly wrong and she knew it. Cloud had started Fenrir, which caught the beasts attention as he went charging toward the thing. Tseng and the Turks had regrouped while Vincent, Barrett, Cid, and Yuffie ran back to Tifa, Reeve, Nanaki, and Cait Sith.

"Ok, Cid and I can draw it toward Cloud. Vincent, you and Marshmallow here should go with Tseng and Rude…Tifa, go with Elena and Reno…and take Nanaki and the robot with you, you five should come up behind it…it's vision is totally messed up…actually, I'm pretty sure it's nearly blind." Yuffie quickly spouted out her orders, everyone nodding briefly and separating.

She and Cid mounted two chocobo's and took off as quick as they could toward Cloud, who had managed to keep the creatures attention until now. Yuffie swung left while Cid went right, both leaping off their respective birds and straight at the beast. Yuffie let Conformer fly, slicing a massive gouge all along its left shoulder. Cid flew straight up, a pale white light surrounding him as he dropped back down and slammed Venus Gospel into the beast with such force it collapsed, howling in rage and pain.

At that moment, Vincent, Barrett, and the Turks opened fire. Between the roar of the behemoth and the guns, Tifa felt like she might actually go deaf. She closed her eyes briefly, concentrating all her energy on her next attack.

"YUFFIE!" Her eyes shot open at Cid's scream. Yuffie had missed her mark and the massive tail made a solid connection, slamming her so hard into the ground she bounced a few times as she was thrown a good fifty yards away, a shard of the now shattered Conformer landing a few inches from her head. Cid ran like a man possessed, and as he ran Tifa could hear the Shera's cannons firing. Turning, she saw the massive airship had lifted off and was opening fire on the beast as it attempted to give chase. It snarled, foaming at the mouth, at the ship. Tifa couldn't hear anything for a moment as everyone seemed to attack in unison. Barrett was firing everything he had, all the Turks had opened fire, Cloud was charging on Fenrir, a familiar blue glow surrounding him. Fenrir's casings all opened at once as Cloud leapt up. She watched, fascinated for a moment as he effortlessly preformed omnislash.

She ran her heart out, giving it everything she had to get to Yuffie. Cid slid to the ground, fumbling with her. His hands trembled and he never looked more shaken.

"Brat, you open your fucking eyes! Yuffie!" He roared at her, fury taking over when fear failed him. Tifa nearly ran him over as she came to Yuffie's other side, her hair had fallen loose and pooled around her. Blood trailed from the corners of her mouth and down the right side of her face. Her arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, broken in several places. Her legs were spattered with blood though appeared to have escaped greater harm. The worst damage was her chest, Tifa could feel her broken ribs. Yuffie shuddered before vomiting blood and gurgling as she gasped for air.

"Hang on, sweetie, we're here, we're here." Tifa said in a wobbly voice as she fumbled for a cure and recover materia.

Cid turned back to the creature. It was down again, wailing in pain as the final stroke of Omnislash landed. The creature fell, bellowing. Vincent stood at the head with Cerberus drawn. Three shots and then silence. Reno and Rude went to work with explosives and a few fire materia. Cid turned back as Tifa continued mending Yuffie the best she could.

"I've stopped the bleeding, but I can't repair the broken bones…" She turned to him, her face pale and glazed with sweat. "Her ribs have punctured her lung, I need to get her to a hospital!" Yuffie coughed, crimson flecks covered Tifa's shoulder and neck as she held her close.

"Give her to me." Tifa's face shot up, a cold glare marring her face. "I'm the best pilot there is and my chopper is faster than that airship. I'll get her to safety, I swear it." Reno spoke softly, unfazed by the burning glare from the martial artist.

"I will go with him." Vincent spoke up after a moment of silence. He remembered well how good a pilot Reno was, and there truly wasn't anyone who could out fly the cocky alcoholic.

"That bastard better not hurt her, Vince." Cid growled.

Reno simply stepped aside to allow Vincent by to collect Yuffie, not rising to the bait. Rude stepped up, nodding and patting him on the shoulder.

"Godspeed." He whispered, stepping back by Elena and Tseng. Reno nodded, running toward the one remaining helicopter.

"Vincent, I-what-she's…" Vincent met Tifa's watery eyes, silencing her.

"She will be well again, Tifa. She has come through worse." She nodded, a small sob escaping her as Vincent lifted Yuffie gently from her arms. Tifa looked down at her own blood coated hands and clothes, tears falling freely. She glanced up again in time to see Reno lifting off, praying to every God she could think of, throwing Zack and Aerith in for good measure, hoping Yuffie would be ok.

"We should clear the area, those explosives were made by Rude…no telling how big the explosion may be." Elena warned, gently touching Tifa's elbow. She jerked around, startled.

"Oh, right…" She followed quietly. Elena felt a pang of something akin to sadness when she watched the Avalanche team members file onto the airship. Not a single one smiling in their victory or even talking. Cid was quietly giving orders and making arrangments for the Turks aboard his ship.

"You might as well come along, unless you know how to put that chopper back with a few paper clips and some duct tape." Cid gave a half hearted attempt at humor.

"That's Reno's specialty." Rude answered softly. "We're grateful for the lift." He and the other Turks made their way up the ramp and to the helm behind Cid.

"We should try and catch up to Reno." Cloud suggested softly.

"He's likely already dropped them off." Tseng stated. "He _is_ the fastest pilot in service." Cid chuckled at that, sure the airship was a bit slow and sluggish, but she could out muscle a helicopter and it's cocky pilot any day.

"Then we head t'the damned hospital." Cid fired up the thrusters and sent the airship off, jarring everyone at the sudden burst of speed.

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_Ok, I felt a little bad for picking on Reno half the fic so I gave him this one opportunity to redeem himself somewhat. I know this is a super short chapter and kind of rushed, however I'm completely at a loss for what else to add…enjoy._


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